Akin Ayomide
Cape Verde have become the second-smallest nation to reach the World Cup after the islanders beat Eswatini 3-0 at home.
Victory meant the Blue Sharks secured top spot in their qualifying group and a place at the 2026 finals ahead of continental heavyweights Cameroon.
Dailon Livramento opened the scoring for the hosts in Praia, turning home a loose ball inside the six-yard box early in the second half, and Willy Semedo volleyed in a second soon afterwards.
Veteran defender Stopira added the third in stoppage time before the full-time whistle sparked joyous scenes of celebration at the 15,000-capacity National Stadium.
An archipelago of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean, with a population of just under 525,000 according to the latest figures from the World Bank, Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and first attempted to reach the 2002 World Cup hosted in Japan and South Korea.
The team have punched above their weight in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in recent years, reaching the quarter-finals on debut in 2013 and again in 2023, and currently sit 70th in the world rankings.
Iceland, who featured at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, is the only country with a smaller population to qualify for the global showpiece.
Last month’s 1-0 home win over Cameroon in the capital city put the islanders in pole position in Group D, knowing one victory from their remaining two games would book their place in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Blue Sharks missed their first chance to qualify last Wednesday against Libya when they drew 3-3, fighting back from two goals down in Tripoli before being denied an almost certain stoppage-time winner by a controversial offside call.
But the Cape Verdeans made sure of their second opportunity in Praia against winless Eswatini, becoming the sixth African side to book a ticket to next year’s finals.
Cape Verde President Jose Maria Neves was in attendance as the home crowd endured a nervy first period in which Livramento sent an effort wide and Jamiro Monteiro was denied by Eswatini goalkeeper Khanyakwezwe Shabalala.
But the tension lifted as soon as Livramento broke the deadlock three minutes into the second half, prompting passionate celebrations with the crowd which were repeated when Semedo converted Diney’s knockdown.