World Cup bound: How Cape Verde’s mix of dual nationals and Rs 31,000 earners made history

World Cup bound: How Cape Verde’s mix of dual nationals and Rs 31,000 earners made history (AP Photo)

Cape Verde, a tiny island nation off the coast of Senegal, qualified for the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, making it the second-smallest nation to do so. After defeating Eswatini, a neighbouring island nation five miles away, 3-0, the team qualified as the champions of the last Group D matches in Africa's 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament.

Just 100 days ago, the nation celebrated its 50th independence year. The national team, however, is composed of fewer than six lakh persons, mostly dependent on gifted players from the Cape Verdean diaspora, which The Guardian claims is the 11th island in the archipelago.

14 of the 25 players called up for Cape Verde’s last two qualifying matches come from the diaspora spread across Portugal, France, and the Netherlands. According to The Guardian, Rotterdam — which has an estimated 23,000 residents of Cape Verdean descent — alone supplied six players to the national squad. Among them is Livramento, the team’s leading scorer in the qualifiers with four goals.

In 2018, Iceland became the smallest nation to earn a spot at the FIFA World Cup.

The SCENES as Cape Verde made HISTORY by securing their first-ever qualification a World Cup!  pic.twitter.com/OKeIOSiykr

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— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 14, 2025

However, following the victory at the National Stadium, which can hold 15,000 people, Cape Verde made sure that October 14 was added to the list of Independence Days, July 5, 1975, and January 13, 1991, when the first multiparty elections were held.

According to The Guardian, residents gathered to Estádio da Várzea, the site of the 2000 Amílcar Cabral Cup, Cape Verde's only trophy outside of the 2009 Lusophony Games, and the site of previous national team games.

After the Blue Sharks courted history, the administration chose not to declare Tuesday a public holiday, but President José Maria Neves referred to the event as the nation's "new independence" in Praia, the capital city, which is noted for its laid-back rhythm.

"This World Cup qualification can already be considered the third defining moment of our nation," The Guardian quoted José Maria Silva, the national director of state protocol, as saying.

CAPE VERDE, POPULATION 560,000, QUALIFY FOR A FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP 🇨🇻 The second-smallest nation ever to achieve that feat. Every US state has a bigger population, yet the Blue Sharks are on their way to football's big dance  Soak up these scenes pic.twitter.com/aR2KMRLteE — Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) October 13, 2025

The first half ended goalless, but three minutes after the break, Dailon Rocha Livramento’s close-range finish broke the deadlock and opened the floodgates. In a stunning upset last month, Cape Verde had defeated Cameroon to top their qualifying group — and this goal was a repeat of Livramento’s heroics from that match. The forward, who is contracted to Hellas Verona, is currently on loan at Casa Pia in Portugal’s top division.

After that, goals came from Stopira and Willy Semedo. According to Guardian, the Blue Sharks' first World Cup qualification campaign concluded in the preliminary round, and the process of hiring players of dual nationalities started around 2002. Lito, a forward who immigrated to Portugal and played more than 200 games in the top division, started it.

Cape Verdean football federation (FCF) vice-president told Guardian, “We relied on him to help convince other Portugal-based players of Cape Verdean descent to join the national team.”

Due to the island nation's harsh droughts, lack of natural resources, and restricted possibilities, many people have migrated in large numbers to the US and western Europe.

“Being able to repay the efforts of our grandparents and parents, who emigrated to give us a better future, sometimes even working two jobs at the same time, is the least we can do,” Livramento said.

Integrating these diaspora players with the core group of native talent was crucial to their preparation, according to Guardian. Cape Verdean-born veterans like Vozinha and Stopira, who began their careers in the local semi-professional league where earnings average €200-€300 (£174-£261) a month (about Rs 31,000), were highlighted by coach Pedro Leitão Brito, also known as Bubista, as representatives of the Cape Verdean identity.