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<\/p>\nLeontina Ribeiro is as close to the big screen at the World Cup watch party at Backyard in Fort Lauderdale as she can possibly get. Rosary in hand, she waves the sign of the cross over each player as the broadcast shows the Cape Verde national team make its way onto the field at Miami Stadium for their match against Uruguay.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ask God to protect our Cape Verde national team \u2014 a small country but with a lot of faith and a lot of strength,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Ribeiro is one of hundreds of Cape Verdeans who came to Fort Lauderdale \u2014 some from the sizable diasporas in Boston and Rhode Island, others making a 16-hour journey across the Atlantic \u2014 to cheer on the World Cup\u2019s unlikeliest underdog story across multiple events in the city. <\/p>\n
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Leontina Ribeiro cheers on Cape Verde with her rosary in hand at Backyard Fort Lauderdale during Sunday’s match against Uruguay.<\/p>\n
With a population of just over half a million spread over ten islands off the east coast of Africa, the nation is the third smallest to ever qualify for a World Cup. But it has gone toe-to-toe with soccer giants and so far come out unbeaten. After a 0-0 draw with tournament favorite Spain in Atlanta and now a 2-2 draw with two-time champion Uruguay in Miami on Sunday, Cape Verde has gone from obscurity to international acclaim.<\/p>\n
A crowd of a few hundred met at Esplanade Park in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday for a festival celebrating the island’s culture. Stalls showed off Cape Verdean businesses \u2014 the most popular was giving away Cape Verde shirts, hats and scarves \u2014 while music from the African island nation played. <\/p>\n
The next day that same crowd met just around the corner at the Backyard bar for a pre-match party before those with tickets packed buses to head to the stadium. The thirty or so without tickets, including Ribeiro, stayed behind to watch on a big screen, dressed in the blue, red and white of the nation’s flag. <\/p>\n
READ MORE: From soccer to Saab, Cape Verde’s grannies raise heroic goalkeepers and a ‘model’ government<\/a><\/p>\n The events were organized by the Timas brothers Moacyr and Nilton, Cape Verdean businessmen who live in Miami.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aWe planned all this before [the draw with Spain], because we believed that we’re not gonna be someone that just gonna come here and everybody’s gonna just bulldoze all over us. We knew \u200athat we had that confidence that we will go and play toe-to-toe with national teams,\u201d said Moacyr.<\/p>\n According to the Cape Verdeans who came to South Florida, the team\u2019s secret is \u201cmorabeza.\u201d It’s a word from Cape Verdean creole \u2014 a language based on the mother tongue of the Portuguese explorers who settled the islands in the 15th century \u2014 which refers to the concept of togetherness, generosity and welcoming attitudes that\u2019s the ethos of the nation\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd no stress, that\u2019s the most important part,\u201d added Cheick Mbengue, another Miami resident. He was celebrating the occasion with his cousins who flew in from Cape Verde.<\/p>\n Cape Verde’s Kevin Pina, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, June 21, 2026. <\/p>\n \u201cAll the players, you see them, not stressed ever,” he explained. “That\u2019s why they’re able to play against these big teams.\u201d<\/p>\n Goalkeeper Vozinha was awarded man of the match for his heroic performance against Spain, when he shut out the European team’s superstars. That display also saw his Instagram following grow from just over 50,000 to 15.4 million. In the same way, the country has grown its international profile.<\/p>\n Jo\u00e3o DePina, who was born and raised in Cape Verde before moving to Boston 26 years ago, is following the team across the country with his young son.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aOther people, they think we’re from the Caribbean. Sometimes at work people see my food, they’ll be like, \u2018Oh, you’re eating Dominican food.\u2019 I’m like, \u2018No! That’s Cape Verde food,\u2019\u201d he said. The country’s most famous dish is cachupa, a stew made of simmered, dried corn, beans and meat or fish.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people think we’re Dominicans, a lot of people think we’re from Puerto Rico, but no, we’re Cape Verdeans.\u201d<\/p>\n \n 1 of 2 Jo\u00e3o DePina and his son unfurl the Cape Verde flag at Esplanade Park in Fort Lauderdale on June 20<\/p>\n Carlton Gillespie<\/p>\n \n 2 of 2 A small crowd of Cape Verdeans celebrate their team’s World Cup match at Backyard Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, June 21<\/p>\n Carlton Gillespie<\/p>\n DePina said that is going to change after this World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aEverybody now knows where Cape Verde is. We don’t have to explain where we are from. Ten small islands from the west coast of Africa \u2014 now the world knows Cape Verde,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n DePina will now follow the team to Houston, where a positive result against Saudi Arabia on Friday could secure their place in the knockout round. For many, qualifying for a World Cup was the country\u2019s biggest sporting accomplishment, but the team\u2019s performances have allowed them to dream bigger.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aWe came for fun, but now they’re giving us a chance to go to the next round. So we’ll definitely take it,\u201d said DePina. \u201cA 1% chance is all we need to believe.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up for WLRN’s\u00a0Soccer Edition newsletter<\/a>\u00a0for World Cup stories \u2014 beyond the scores.<\/p>\n![\"Cape](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782204587_270_.jpeg\"\/)
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