Ahmed Salem
Luck Cape Verde national teamwith the reception of the heroes, upon their return to their country, on Sunday, as thousands of fans gathered in the capital, Praia, to cheer them on.
The Blue Whales team made history by qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time in their history.
The rising team didn't just participate in the tournament, as they surprised by qualifying from the group stage to the round of 32, logging an honorable exit against the Argentina national team, who were forced to play extra time after a 2-2 draw.
In one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, the team remained undefeated until their 3-2 loss to Argentina.
Fan Nevaldo Santos, who was in the capital to cheer on the team, said: “I'm very happy, this is a unique opportunity for us, it's a great opportunity that we can seize now. Long live Cape Verde! Long live Cape Verde.”.
The small country with a population of half a million drew with European champions Spain and drew again with Uruguay.
Cape Verde is one of the smallest and least populated African nations to qualify for the World Cup.
Despite Cape Verde's “Blue Sharks” being eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after a 3-2 loss to Argentina in the Round of 32, the team succeeded in writing one of the tournament's most notable stories, dazzling football fans with their remarkable performance against top teams.
Cape Verde's qualification for the World Cup came after overcoming strong teams, most notably Cameroon, in the qualifiers, before landing in Group H alongside Spain, the European champion, Uruguay, a two-time world champion, and Saudi Arabia. Although the predictions gave them no chance of qualifying, the team managed to defy expectations.
Cape Verde's World Cup performance
The national team began its campaign with a historic goalless draw against Spain, in a match where veteran goalkeeper Vuvuzela (Juzejmar Jose Evora Dias), 40 years old, excelled, making 18 saves throughout the team's journey in the tournament, becoming one of the most prominent stars of the World Cup and leading his country to its first point in its World Cup history.
“Blue Sharks” continued their distinguished performances with an exciting 2-2 draw against Uruguay, after Kevin Pina scored Cape Verde's first ever World Cup goal, before Varela equalized in the second half, earning the team its second point in the group stage.
Widespread sympathy from the fans
In the final round, the national team drew nil-nil with Saudi Arabia, benefiting from Spain's win over Uruguay, to secure a spot in the Round of 32 as runner-up in Group H, a historic achievement for the island nation with a population not exceeding 500,000.
The national team won the sympathy of fans around the world, with many analysts describing it as the “World Cup story” after it succeeded in bringing attention to their country, while one affected fan said: “Everyone knows where Cape Verde is on the map now.”.
In the Round of 32, Cape Verde put on a heroic performance against Argentina. The regulation time ended in a 2-2 draw, with the team coming back twice in the score thanks to a spectacular goal by Sidney Lopes Cabral. A late own goal by Dinis Borges eventually decided the match in favor of Argentina with a final score of 3-2 after extra time.
