Cape Verde Qualifies for the World Cup with Diaspora Players

PRAIA, MONDAY — The small country of Cape Verde has demonstrated that population size does not correlate with the opportunity to compete in the World Cup. With the assistance of diaspora players, the island nation with a population of approximately 550,000 has made history by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

"The Blue Shark," the nickname for Tanjung Verde, secured a ticket to the World Cup after defeating the visiting team, Eswatini, 3-0 at the National Stadium, Praia, on Tuesday (14/10/2025 WIB). They qualified for the most prestigious event for the first time as the champions of Group D (23 points) in the African zone qualifying round.

The team coached by Pedro Brito outperformed the World Cup regulars, Cameroon, who arrived with stars from the English Premier League, such as Carlos Baleba and Bryan Mbeumo. Cameroon finished in second place (19 points). Meanwhile, Cape Verde followed in the footsteps of Egypt, Morocco, and Ghana, who had already qualified earlier.

"Providing this happiness to our people is extraordinary. This is a victory for all the people of Tanjung Verde, and most importantly, for those who have fought for our independence. This is a special moment in the celebration of 50 years of independence," said Bubista, the coach's nickname.

Tanjung Verde, a country off the coast of Senegal, has now officially become the second least populated country to qualify for the quadrennial event. They have only slightly more inhabitants than Eslandia, with 350,000 residents, which set a record when it qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

How did Cape Verde manage to create a World Cup-level team with such a small population? The answer lies in leveraging diaspora players. In recent years, they have relied on players born abroad to parents or grandparents from Cape Verde. Most of them were born in the Netherlands and Portugal.

The dependence on diaspora players was very evident in the decisive match against Eswatini. The opening goal for Cape Verde was scored by forward Dailon Livramento, who was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Then, their second goal was produced by winger Willy Semedo, who was born in Bordeaux, France.

The eleven starting players of Tanjung Verde are also classified as diaspora. Three players come from Portugal, while one each hails from the United States, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, Russia, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Cyprus. Their diaspora network is very extensive.

Due to their intense pursuit of diaspora players, Tanjung Verde has even utilized the professional networking site LinkedIn to track potential players. One of those recruited from the site is defender Roberto Lopes, who was born in Dublin, Ireland.

"My father is from Sao Nicolau (an island in Cape Verde). People tend to seek opportunities and play football abroad. It seems there is a massive migration from this country. We are spread all over the world. It is truly remarkable what we can achieve when we unite," Lopes told BBC Sport.

Tanjung Verde cannot expect much from the domestic league. The highest tier of their league is only participated in by 12 teams. Their football federation addresses the limitations of internal potential by seeking potential from external sources. This project has proven to be a total success with qualification for the World Cup.

Although the project appears to be instant, not through player development, "The Blue Shark" actually values the process highly. The key to their success began with a coach who has been building the team since January 2020. Bubista, a former national team player, has been gradually developing the squad year by year.

Bubista remains trusted by the federation even though his team did not qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup. The federation sees a bigger picture regarding the potential of the squad moving forward. Their team has made significant progress in recent years, including topping a group that included Ghana and Egypt in the 2023 Africa Cup.

Instead of reacting hastily by hiring a new coach, their federation retained Bubista for the World Cup qualifiers. The results were perfect. The coach was able to complete the work he started nearly six years ago. The federation's trust was fully rewarded.

The story of Cape Verde can serve as a lesson for other countries. As long as they can take advantage of opportunities such as recruiting diaspora players, have a clear vision, and value the process, even a small country with a limited population can achieve the World Cup. (AP/REUTERS)