First time ever! Minnows book spot at 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

First time ever! Minnows book spot at 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

In partnership with

Yahoo sports
Icon: OneFootball

OneFootball

Alex Waite·13 October 2025

First time ever! Minnows book spot at 2026 World Cup

Article image:First time ever! Minnows book spot at 2026 World Cup

Cape Verde made history on Wednesday, becoming the second smallest country ever to reach the World Cup.

The Blue Sharks sealed their spot at the 2026 World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Libya. Dailon Livramento, Stopira and Willy Semedo scored the vital goals.


OneFootball Videos


The win caps an impressive qualification campaign, where Cape Verde finished top of CAF qualifying Group D with just one defeat from nine games so far.

They are currently ranked 70th in the FIFA rankings and only became an official football team in 1978.

The African side have gone from strength to strength in recent years, reaching quarter-finals at the 2013 and 2023 AFCON finals.

However, breaking into the world's elite to compete in the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026 is a new height for the nation with a population of just over 500,000.

This browser is not supported, please use a different one or install the app

video-poster

The only country to qualify with a smaller population size are Iceland.

How far will the Blue Sharks progress at the World Cup finals next summer?


📸 DANIEL BELOUMOU OLOMO - AFP or licensors