'Everyone is talking about us' World Cup heroics delight Cape Verdean diaspora

For as long as she can remember, 13-year-old Lauryn struggled to find a map that included Cape Verde. To her great delight, the tiny African island nation is finally centre stage.

- Aamna Mohdin

“Seeing our country shown across the world at the World Cup makes me feel incredibly proud,” Lauryn says. “After the first match, everyone was talking about Cape Verde. People saw the talent and the skill of our players.”

Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde as the diaspora community in the UK knows it, is having a historic run in its first World Cup. The tiny African nation, made up of 10 islands, has defied expectations by holding its own against the tournament’s leading teams.

Located in the Atlantic Ocean roughly 350 miles off the coast of the African continent and with a population of half a million, it is one of the smallest nations to compete at the tournament.

Lauryn, who has already published her first book, Lauryn That’s Me: The Journey of a Powerful African Girl, scrolled through social media before Cape Verde’s opening match against Spain. “There were lots of posts saying Cape Verde only had a 1% chance of winning,” she says. “But after everyone saw our goalkeeper’s performance, everything changed.”