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Cape Verde at the FIFA World Cup

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Cape Verde appeared in their first FIFA World Cup in 2026. In their debut match against Spain, they tied 0–0, earning their first point in World Cup history.[1]

On 13 October 2025, they qualified for the first time after 3–0 victory over Eswatini.[2][3] At the time of their qualification, Cape Verde was noted as the smallest country by land area and the second-least-populated country to qualify for the World Cup, with a land area of 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 sq mi) and a population of just under 525,000.[4][5] However, after the qualification of Curaçao's team a month later, Cape Verde became the second-smallest country by land area and the third-least-populated.[6][7]

The team was drawn into Group H alongside Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia. In their first ever world cup game, they caused a major upset by drawing 0-0 to Spain. That upset was furthered by a 2-2 draw against Uruguay and a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia to finish second in their group, thereby becoming the smallest-ever nation to reach the knockout stages of a FIFA World Cup.

Records

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FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1974 Part of Portugal Part of Portugal
1978 and 1982 Not a member of FIFA Not a member of FIFA
1986 to 1998 Did not enter Did not enter
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 2
Germany 2006 12 4 2 6 12 16
South Africa 2010 6 3 0 3 7 8
Brazil 2014 6 3 0 3 9 7
Russia 2018 8 3 0 5 6 13
Qatar 2022 6 3 2 1 8 6
Canada Mexico United States 2026 TBD TBD 3 0 3 0 2 2 Squad 10 7 2 1 16 8
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 TBD TBD
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total — 1/10 3 0 3 0 2 2 — 50 22 8 20 52 57

Top Goalscorers

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On the 21st June 2026 Kevin Pina made football history by scoring Cape Verde's first ever FIFA World Cup goal. He did it on the 21st minute of their second match gainst Uruguay in Miami.

Player Goals 2026
Kevin Pina 1 1
Hélio Varela 1 1
Total 1 2

Tournaments

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2026 FIFA World Cup

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Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup

Group stage

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Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 3 2 1 0 5 0 +5 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Cape Verde 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
3  Uruguay 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2[a]
4  Saudi Arabia 3 0 2 1 1 5 −4 2[a]
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head result (Saudi Arabia 1–1 Uruguay). Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.
Spain 0–0 Cape Verde
[Report 1]
Attendance: 67,640
Uruguay 2–2 Cape Verde
 [Report 2]
Attendance: 64,003
Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway)
Cape Verde 0–0 Saudi Arabia
[Report 3]
Attendance: 68,278

Knockout stage

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Main article: 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
Round of 32
Argentina Match 86 Cape Verde
[Report 4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Cape Verde stun Spain to claim historic point on World Cup debut". Confederation of African Football. 2026-06-15. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  2. ^ "World Cup 2026 qualifying: Cape Verde make history as second-smallest qualifier". BBC Sport. October 13, 2025.
  3. ^ "Cape Verde 3-0 Eswatini: Blue Sharks reach World Cup finals for first time". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  4. ^ Stevens, Rob (13 October 2025). "Cape Verde become second-smallest nation to reach World Cup". BBC. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Cabo Verde seal historic World Cup qualification". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  6. ^ Pannell, Alfie (19 November 2025). "Curaçao to Cape Verde: Small nations make big World Cup history". NPR.
  7. ^ "Cape Verde World Cup 2026 team guide". Guardian. 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.

Reports

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  1. ^
  2. ^
  3. ^
  4. ^ "Argentina vs Cabo Verde | Round of 32 | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
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