Short answers, pulled from the story.
Cape Verde qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in October 2025 after winning their qualifying group. It was the first time in the team's history they had reached the tournament.
Cape Verde became the smallest country by land area and the second least populated nation to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, with a land area of 4,033 km2 and a population of just under 525,000. Curaçao later broke both records when they qualified for the same tournament five weeks later.
Cape Verde made their Africa Cup of Nations debut at the 2013 tournament in South Africa. They reached the quarter-finals, defeating Angola 2-1 in the group stage before losing to Ghana at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
The Cape Verde national football team is nicknamed Tubarões Azuis, which translates to Blue Sharks in Portuguese. They are also known as the Creoles, or Crioulos in Portuguese.
Cape Verdeans living abroad outnumber the population of the islands themselves. Most of Cape Verde's international players compete in club football outside the country, mainly in Europe and some in Asia, and several were born outside the islands entirely.
Cape Verde plays the majority of its home matches at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde. Home fixtures have also been held at the 5,000-seat Adérito Sena Municipal Stadium in Mindelo and, previously, at the Estádio da Várzea in Praia, which reopened in 2006 with a capacity of 8,000.