Cape Verde becomes smallest country to reach World Cup knockouts

sportsJun 27, 2026251,957

Cape Verde became the smallest country ever to reach the FIFA World Cup knockout stage after finishing their debut tournament unbeaten with three straight draws. The Blue Sharks finished as Group H runners-up, sealing advancement with a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia and leaving the group with three points from three matches. Cape Verde entered the tournament ranked 67th and had been widely counted out before the finals, yet they secured a Round of 32 spot without recording a win. Their reward is a Round of 32 meeting with reigning world champions Argentina in Miami next Saturday, a matchup that guarantees global attention for the island nation.

The Associated Press

@apnews.com

Cape Verde becomes the smallest country in World Cup history to reach the knockout round.

6455h ago

Dana Decker1

Never lost a World Cup game. What other country can say that?

Quoting this

Scott Reid8

Cape Verde: population 530,000 Scotland: population 5.5 million

Chiara Di Lello5

LOOK, times are hard. Give the people a Cape Verde Cinderella run, OK???

nicky woolf5

I am so on board this train

Alberto GM3

Caboverdeano desde la cuna, eh 🇨🇻 🤞

Oisín Murphy-Lawless3

Jesus, Crumlin is going to be wrecked this morning.

Yooberz 🍤3

yo hell yeah this is cool keep going!!

Fletcher Powell3

Everyone’s going to have to learn how to pronounce it now (this is great)

Albuquerquiches2

Left won the H Group

Men in Blazers Media Network

@meninblazers.bsky.social

CAPE VERDE ARE THROUGH 🦈 The best story of the World Cup will keep going into the knockout stage, as the debutant Blue Sharks are in the Round of 32 🇨🇻

4625h ago

Quoting this

Nunsense & Shenunigans3

Outstanding news! ⚽️ I am so happy for them

Bill Connelly

@espnbillc.bsky.social

Hello from Houston. I’ve covered 5 World Cup matches thus far, and I’ve seen Curaçao’s first World Cup goal, Curaçao’s first World Cup point (and nearly a saves record), DR Congo tying Portugal and Cape Verde advancing to the knockouts. I am the underdog whisperer.

3295h ago

Norm Charlatan11

Hopefully you’re sticking around for Japan-Brazil.

CFB1382

Too bad you’re not at the Iran Egypt pride match

BDC2

Love this for you and everyone but more importantly I hope you’re eating well

ajm-s.bsky.social2

Can you please do whatever it is you do but for South Korea? Voodoo. The rosary. Sacrifices unto Sebek. A soccer SP+. Whatever it takes.

Kurt1

Please stop making me jealous of your career so consistently.

Quoting this

Ruo Shui5

Vozinha gonna hit 17M followers on insta

First Touch

@firsttouch.bsky.social

Cape Verde celebrates with their manager, Bubista, after advancing to the Knockout Stage of the FIFA World Cup 🇨🇻🗣️🔥

1265h ago

Sooz Kempner

@soozuk.bsky.social

Imagine if it turns out Cape Verde is absolutely amazing at penalties and they just win the World Cup by holding every single team to 0-0 for 120 minutes before smashing in five perfect pens.

1402h ago

Trump Watch 👀

@trumpwatch.bsky.social

1-1. 🚨 A nation of just 500,000 people has qualified for the FIFA World Cup Round of 32. ETERNAL RESPECT. 🙏🇨🇻 Cape Verde is writing history! The majority of Cape Verdeans actually live in the diaspora. New England—

644h ago

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter

@realbachscore.bsky.social

Cape Verde, a nation of 530,000, has advanced to the World Cup knockout stage to play reigning champion Argentina. In college basketball terms, Cape Verdeans are now these guys

595h ago

Jorge A. Caballero, MD

@datadrivenmd.social

Person watching the World Cup on Fox: Cape Verde! Person watching the World Cup on Telemundo: Cabo Verde!

275h ago

Tim Hirschel-Burns

@timhirschelburns.bsky.social

Not to be a hipster here but all the way back in the fall we hosted the Prime Minister of Cape Verde for an event and I drafted a line in the welcome speech referencing their impending World Cup qualification but the higher up delivering the speech didn’t get it and edited it out

155h ago

RAOK

@evolvingempathy.bsky.social

Cape Verde’s dream run continues, becoming smallest country into World Cup knockout round apnews.com/article/cape...

85h ago

The Sweeper Podcast

@sweeperpod.bsky.social

🇨🇻 Absolutely extraordinary from Cape Verde, who have gone unbeaten and reached the knockout phase in their first-ever World Cup finals campaign! Their reward? A meeting with reigning world champions Argentina and Lionel Messi in Miami next Saturday! Fantastic stuff for the Blue Sharks! 🦈

114h ago

Seth Moulton

@sethmoulton.bsky.social

First-ever World Cup appearance and Cape Verde is heading to the knockout rounds! 🇨🇻 Huge congrats to the team and to the Cape Verdean community here in Massachusetts. Enjoy the party!

115h ago

drewtcorbin.bsky.social

@drewtcorbin.bsky.social

Sports ALERT 🔔 📢 ##FIFA #WorldCup2026 ⚽️ Congrats to Cape Verde on advancing to the round of 32. Cape Verde's first appearance in FIFA World Cup and the third-smallest nation by population ( 525,000,) to ever play in the FIFA World Cup. The celebration 🍾 is on in Praia.

55h ago

Ken Bazinet

@kenbazinet.bsky.social

Cindarella Cape Verde moves on to knockout round of the World Cup. The archipelago nation of a half million people are going to party like they won the whole thing, and rightfully so. Guessing New Bedford, the North American capital of the Cape Verdean community, will be noisy tonight, too. #Copa

55h ago

Lippy Kid

@lippykidmusic.bsky.social

Waking up to find Cape Verde are through to the knockout stages of the world cup. What a fantastic way to start the weekend 💙🦈🇨🇻

81h ago

1 source

apnews.comCape Verde’s dream run continues, becoming smallest country into World Cup knockout round

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Cape Verde becomes smallest country to reach World Cup knockouts

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