World Cup qualifiers for African nations (CAF) end today, and Group D has already been decided. With 23 points coming from seven victories, 2 draws and 1 defeat, Cape Verde has secured World Cup 2026 qualification for the first time via direct spot as group leaders, surpassing Cameroon, the African team that has qualified for World Cup more times, eight, and the only to defeat Brazil in an official match at the 2003 Confederations Cup and 2022 World Cup.
The Blue Sharks, as their national team is nicknamed, defeated Eswatini 3-0 on Monday, forcing Cameroon to the play-offs. Dailon Rocha Livramento, Willy Semedo, and Stopira scored the three goals that secured the top spot, but the key victory was 1-0 against Cameroon last September, also with a goal by Livramento, forward in Portuguese team Casa Pia.
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Cape Verde, with only 525,000 people in ten islands, gained its independence from Portugal in 1975. It has become the second smallest country in population ever to qualify for a World Cup, after Iceland reached the 2018 World Cup, and the smallest ever in size, with 4,033 km2. They join Jordan and Uzbekistan as other countries playing World Cup for the first time in 2026.
With 48 teams instead of the usual 32, FIFA has reserved nine spots for African nations instead of the usual five, which has helped more nations to enter the prestigious competition, but that didn't take any merit nor joy to the achievement and the party that took place later at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde in Praia, capital of Cape Verde.