Cape Verdeans living the dream with historic World Cup spot

A blend of diaspora players and homegrown talent has helped the island nation seal qualification for the first time

- Alex Cizmic

On 5 July 1975, the Cape Verdean flag was raised for the first time at Estadio da Varzea in the capital city of Praia, marking the nation’s declaration of independence from Portugal. At that moment, there was no national football team - and no sign of what was to come.

Exactly 100 days after the 50th anniversary of independence, the country’s flag was waved at the very same ground, where crowds gathered to celebrate Cape Verde’s historic first World Cup qualification with the players who had earlier secured the decisive 3-0 win against Eswatini five miles away at the National Stadium. This island nation off the coast of Senegal, with a population of fewer than 600,000, has become the second-smallest country to qualify for the tournament, after Iceland in 2018.

Estadio da Varzea, which once hosted Cape Verde’s national team matches and was the venue for the 2000 Amilcar Cabral Cup - the country’s only trophy besides the 2009 Lusophony Games - thronged with joyous locals. A crowd had watched the game on a big screen outside, and a stage had been set up inside in preparation for a hoped-for party. People flocked there after the match, the players turning up after a period in their hotel.

Fans flooded the pitch and some of the squad joined top Cape Verdean musicians on stage, singing and dancing late into the night. A brief fireworks display lit up the sky shortly after midnight. Most of the crowd were young, the government having decided against declaring yesterday a public holiday despite rumours that it would do so and the president, José Maria Neves, comparing the country’s World Cup qualification to “a new independence”.