At the national stadium in Praia, three second-half goals from Dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo and Stopira helped Cape Verde complete their magical journey, taking them to the biggest football stage on the planet for the first time in their history.

Cape Verde players have written a modern-day fairy tale - Photo: FIFA

With a population of just 525,000, Cape Verde is the second smallest country to qualify for the World Cup, after Iceland in 2018. The island nation’s area and population are less than 1% of Vietnam’s, making the feat all the more extraordinary.

The win over Eswatini helped Cape Verde maintain their top spot in Group D of the African zone, four points ahead of second-placed Cameroon. While Cameroon were held to a 0-0 draw by Angola, Cape Verde took the perfect opportunity to end the qualifying round with historic joy.

Cape Verde becomes the second smallest country to participate in the World Cup, after Iceland in 2018 - Photo: FIFA

Coach Pedro Brito's team has a modest squad, with only one player - defender Logan Costa (Villarreal) playing in the top 5 European leagues.

However, with discipline, cohesion and ambition, Cape Verde has written a true fairy tale - from a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean straight to the 2026 World Cup Finals.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/quoc-gia-chua-bang-1-dan-so-viet-nam-gay-dia-chan-gianh-ve-du-world-cup-2026-2452085.html