It must be emphasized, first, that this was very much a victory for the people of Cape Verde. They are the second smallest nation by population to qualify for a World Cup (pipped narrowly by Iceland to the top spot). They achieved independence from Portugal in 1975. They have had a football federation since 1982.<\/p>\n
They didn’t join FIFA until 1986. And they have been involved in World Cup qualification fixtures for just more than 20 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Recency has certainly has its impact. But this has also been a quick rise to global prominence. They qualified for the African Cup of Nations in 2013. That year, they made the quarterfinals. In 2023, they also advanced to the last eight – and lost to South Africa on penalties. And under current qualifying criteria, they would have had a shot to play on the world’s stage four years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the first World Cup campaign, it was the old format where only five teams could qualify,” defender Roberto Lopes said. “I mean, I already missed out on the play-off spot to Nigeria. But I think, off the back of our two Africa Cup of Nations (performances), we gained some confidence, saying that we can mix with the best teams. So, we didn\u2019t fear who was in our group.”<\/p>\n