Cape Verde, officially known as Cabo Verde, secured a historic first-ever FIFA World Cup qualification by finishing at the top of a highly competitive CAF qualifying group

As a nod to Rhode Island's large Cape Verdean population, a send-off celebration is being held at Centreville Bank Stadium on Sunday.

World Cup Group H includes Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay; matches to take place in Zapopan, Mexico and USA cities Atalanta, Miami and Houston

As Cape Verde prepares for its historic first World Cup appearance, young footballers and coaches in Praia dare to dream big despite limited resources.

Cape Verde qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by finishing at the top of Group D in CAF qualifying, finishing four points ahead of Cameroon. In ten matches, the team won seven with two draws, and recorded a goal difference of +8.

Cape Verde will make its World Cup debut at the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. In the third instalment of a four-part series, RFI looks at the journey of the second smallest nation after Curaçao to qualify for the competition in its 96-year history.

For the first time in history Cape Verde, the tiny volcanic archipelago of just 525,000 people, one of the smallest countries in the world, has qualified for the competition.