Cape Verde’s World Cup Journey So Far: What Africans Can Learn
The players were in tears. Mama Ana, the mother of Vozinha—the oldest goalkeeper at the FIFA World Cup—could barely contain her joy. Cape Verde, a tiny island nation off the coast of West Africa with a population of just over half a million people, had qualified for the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup. Many will call this a miracle. Those who have followed the remarkable rise of Cape Verdean football know better. This achievement was not an accident but the result of vision, preparation, discipline, and collective effort.
This achievement was not an accident but the result of vision, preparation, discipline, and collective effort.”
No one knows how their Round of 32 match against defending champions Argentina will end. But anyone who watched Cape Verde hold former world champions Spain to a draw in their opening match knows that they cannot be dismissed lightly. This is the same country that defeated Cameroon in World Cup qualification. At the last Africa Cup of Nations, Cape Verde reached the quarter-finals before losing to South Africa on penalties, having eliminated Ghana and Mauritania and drawn with Egypt. These performances have confirmed that Cape Verde is no longer merely an underdog but an emerging force in African football.
As a lifelong football enthusiast—having served as an amateur referee in Nigeria and Canada and later as an under-18 coach in Canada—I almost refused to watch this World Cup after the United States denied entry to Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan. Yet I decided that boycotting the tournament would deny me something I love. I am glad I watched. African teams, with the exception of Tunisia, have shown remarkable resilience and quality. They have demonstrated that African football is no longer a walkover and that any team which underestimates Africa does so at its own peril. But among all these stories, Cape Verde stands out because its success offers lessons that extend far beyond football.
The first lesson is the importance of long-term preparation and stable leadership. Unlike some of Africa’s traditional football giants, such as Nigeria and Cameroon, which have changed coaches repeatedly in recent years, Cape Verde has maintained continuity under Pedro “Bubista” Brito since 2020. Over the years, he has patiently built not simply a squad of talented individuals but a genuine team. The players understand and trust one another and have fully embraced the coach’s vision.
Anyone watching Cape Verde play immediately notices the rhythm of their football, the collective movement, and the willingness of every player to work for the team rather than personal glory. Success in football, as in nation-building, depends on shared purpose. Africa often celebrates exceptional individuals, but sustainable success requires strong institutions and cohesive teams. The “big man” syndrome that has damaged politics in many African countries also appears in sport whenever players believe they are bigger than the coach or more important than the team. Great talents may occasionally carry a nation, but lasting success is always built collectively.
Success in football, as in nation-building, depends on shared purpose.”
The second lesson is the power of organization. Cape Verde is one of Africa’s smallest countries, yet it has learned to maximize its limited resources. It is consistently ranked among Africa’s strongest constitutional democracies and enjoys political stability, peaceful transfers of power, and comparatively low levels of corruption. Good governance alone does not win football matches, but stable institutions create the conditions in which excellence can flourish not only in sports but in every aspect of life. We can think of Africa’s vast assets in almost every field of life and how we have failed to build on them. Assets are not enough. Without proper organization, talents are wasted, opportunities are lost, and possibilities are blunted.
The contrast with some larger African countries is striking. Nigeria and Cameroon possess enormous football talent and much richer football histories, but both failed to qualify for the World Cup—Nigeria failing for a second successive time. Nigeria and Cameroon have frequently been undermined by administrative instability, disputes over player welfare and bonuses, political interference in football administration, and constant changes in technical leadership. Talent alone is never enough. Organization matters. Institutions matter. Leadership matters. When the nation is failing in every other aspect of life, it affects every other aspect of national life, including sports.
Talent alone is never enough. Organization matters. Institutions matter. Leadership matters.”
The final lesson is perhaps the most important: confidence born of preparation. Cape Verde’s Football Federation was founded only in 1982 and joined FIFA in 1986. Compared with football powers such as Spain, Argentina, or even some African giants, Cape Verde is a newcomer. Yet its players walked onto the field believing they belonged there. They respected their opponents without fearing them, and they played with courage, determination, and national pride.
Sometimes, as Africans, we carry an unnecessary sense of inferiority when competing on the global stage. We admire others so much that we forget our own strengths. Cape Verde has reminded us that success is not determined by population, race, color, wealth, history, or reputation. It is earned through preparation, discipline, courage, and self-belief.
Cape Verde’s remarkable World Cup journey so far is therefore about much more than football. It is a lesson in leadership, governance, and national development. It demonstrates that even a small nation can compete with the world’s best when it invests patiently in people, builds effective institutions, and nurtures a culture of teamwork and accountability.
Today, I proudly say I am Cape Verdean because I am African. Everything in me belongs to Africa, and everything African in any part of the world has a link to my own identity construction. The success of Cape Verde belongs to all of us. I proudly wear the jersey of Cape Verde’s national team, the Blue Sharks. Their courage should inspire every African nation to reject excuses and embrace the hard work of preparation, good governance, and collective responsibility. If a nation of half a million people can dream this boldly and compete at the highest level, then surely the rest of Africa can do the same.
The future of our continent will not be determined by its size or resources but by the quality of its leadership, the strength of its institutions, and the determination of its people.”
Cape Verde has reminded us that the future of our continent will not be determined by its size or resources but by the quality of its leadership, the strength of its institutions, and the determination of its people.
