The Cape Verde national football team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in its history by topping Group 4 of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The team nicknamed “The Blue Sharks” secured qualification by defeating their guest Eswatini 3-0 in the final match of Group 4. The goals were scored by Dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo, and Stopira in the 48th, 54th, and 91st minutes respectively.

With this win, the promising Cape Verde team raised its tally to 23 points at the top of the group, while Eswatini remained at 3 points in sixth and last place.

Cape Verde outpaced Cameroon in the qualifiers, as Cameroon drew 0-0 with Angola in a match played simultaneously.

In a third match, Mauritius drew 0-0 with Libya.

With these results, Cameroon remains second with 19 points, missing the chance to extend its record as the African team with the most World Cup appearances, having participated eight times in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, and 2022.

Libya stayed third with 16 points, losing the chance to finish second and enter the playoff stage, followed by Angola with 12 points in fourth place, and Mauritius with 6 points in fifth.

Cape Verde, the island nation located in West Africa, has a population of just over 500,000, making it the second smallest country to qualify for the World Cup after Iceland, which participated in 2018.

Cape Verde is ranked 70th globally and joins other surprising qualifiers in past World Cups such as Haiti in 1974, Jamaica in 1998, Angola, Togo, and Trinidad and Tobago in 2006.

The team is coached by Pedro Leitão Brito. Notable players include Stephen Moreira, defender for the American club Columbus Crew, and Logan Costa, player for Spanish club Villarreal.

Cape Verde missed direct qualification in the previous round when they drew 3-3 away against Libya.

The “Blue Sharks” became the third team to debut at the 2026 World Cup, alongside Uzbekistan and Jordan, and the sixth African team to qualify after Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Ghana.

The remaining three African spots will be decided tomorrow, Tuesday, and a tenth African team may qualify through the continental playoff.

The number of teams qualified for the 2026 World Cup has now risen to 22, with the tournament being held for the first time with 48 teams.