Only few outside Africa would have known of Cabo Verde, or Cape Verde, before the country qualified for Fifa World Cup 2026.
The tiny island nation gripped the world’s attention as it pushed footballing giants to their limits, drawing against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in the group stages. Their dream run came to an end on Friday, after losing narrowly to defending champions Argentina in the knockout round. But the team didn’t make it easy for Lionel Messi’s side. The match stretched well into extra time, as Cape Verde kept the South American nation on its toes.
The team’s performance in the tournament, and its players’ stories, showed just why football was called the beautiful game, and a great equaliser.
Here’s a look at the country, in numbers:
529,000
This is the population of the island nation, according to the United Nations, making it the smallest nation to ever compete in Fifa World Cup. To put it in context, the country’s population is smaller than Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata.
4,033sq km
The total area of the archipelago, including ten larger islands, of which nine are inhabited, and five smaller uninhabited islands.
300km from north to south, 250km from east to west
The country positions itself in relation to the trade winds. The predominating north-east passat wind on the archipelago divides Cape Verde into the group of islands that lies above (Barlavento) – Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolao, Boa Vista, Sal, Santa Luzia, Branco and Razo — and the islands that lie below it (sotavento): Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava, according to the country’s website.
135 million years ago
When the islands rose out of the sea due to tectonic shifts and volcanic eruptions
500
Species of beetles call these islands home. They also host butterflies, including monarchs, blue butterflies, knight butterflies and swallowtails, along with colourful iridescent dragonflies.
80%
Of the country’s population is Catholic, 10% are Protestants, and the others are smaller religious groups
1986
The year that Cape Verde became a member of Fifa and kickstarted its journey of international football.
182
The lowest Fifa ranking the country has seen was 182 in 2000.
27
The highest Fifa ranking of Cape Verde was 27 in 2014.
67
When Cape Verde entered the 2026 World Cup, it was ranked 67th in Fifa men’s world rankings.
2
Cape Verde reached the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in 2013 and 2023
