Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup for the first time in its history after beating Eswatini 3-0, according to the AFP report carried by RFI in the packet. The win, in Praia on Monday, sealed first place in Group D and sent the Blue Sharks to football's biggest tournament for the first time.

The victory came in front of a 15,000-strong crowd waving flags and celebrating a result that had been building through a long qualifying campaign. Cape Verde had struggled at points earlier in the group but finished with 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Angola in Yaounde. The result left Cape Verde beyond reach and confirmed their place at the 2026 World Cup.

The goals came in a burst after halftime. Dailon Livramento and Willy Semedo scored within the first nine minutes of the second half, both from close range, and Stopira added a third in added time. The report says Livramento claimed his fourth goal of the campaign and Semedo struck soon after, while Stopira finished off a loose ball at the end.

The qualification carries extra weight because of Cape Verde's size. The archipelago off the coast of Senegal has about 550,000 inhabitants, making it the second-least populous nation ever to reach a World Cup after Iceland in 2018. That comparison underlines how rare the achievement is and how far the country has come in a region dominated by larger football powers.

Coach Pedro Brito, known as Bubista, said the result belonged to the Cape Verdean people and to those who fought for independence. The packet says the qualification came during the 50th anniversary of Cape Verde's independence, adding a national milestone to the sporting one. Goalkeeper Vozinha said the moment had been a childhood dream and that it was time to celebrate.

The team also reflects Cape Verde's global diaspora. The source says several starters were based outside the country, with players born in places such as Rotterdam and near Paris, and others coming from clubs across Europe and beyond. That wide network helped create a squad capable of turning a difficult start into a remarkable finish, winning five consecutive qualifiers when the campaign was on the line.

For Cape Verde, the final whistle in Praia was more than the end of a match. It was the moment an island nation turned a long campaign into a place at the World Cup, joining the sport's global stage for the first time and doing so with the kind of result that will be remembered far beyond one qualifying night.