Cape Verde is just one win away from a historic first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance after a stunning 1-0 victory over Cameroon on Tuesday in Praia.
The Blue Sharks, representing a small island nation of less than 550,000 people, now sit atop Group D of the African World Cup qualifiers with 19 points, four ahead of eight-time World Cup participants Cameroon.
The match-winner came in the 54th minute through Dailon Livramento, a 24-year-old forward playing in Italy, who was born in Rotterdam to Cape Verdean parents. It was his third goal of the 2026 qualifiers, following a brace in Cape Verde’s win over Angola last March.
This latest victory was especially sweet for Cape Verde, having suffered a 4-1 defeat to Cameroon in Yaoundé during the previous encounter. Cape Verde now needs just three more points from their final two qualifiers away to Libya and home to Eswatini in October to secure top spot in Group D and automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
