Team: Cape Verde

Cabo Verde make their first ever World Cup appearance, one of the most remarkable qualification stories of the entire 2026 cycle. The island archipelago of fewer than 600,000 people has built a competitive football program by drawing on players of Cape Verdean heritage competing in Portugal, Spain, France, and beyond. The Blue Sharks compete in Group H alongside Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay. Cabo Verde's qualification is a historic moment for the country and for African football, demonstrating what a small nation can achieve with smart development pathways and a deep collective passion for the sport that spans generations across the diaspora and the islands themselves.

The Blue Sharks secured their historic first World Cup place by topping CAF Group D, sealing qualification with a 3-0 win over Eswatini after being pushed all the way by Cameroon. With a population of just over 500,000, Cabo Verde are the second least populous nation to reach the World Cup after Iceland at Russia 2018.