The Anthem
Cântico da Liberdade (Song of Freedom)
▶ Listen on YouTube ↗“Canta, irmão / Sing, brother…”
Adopted after independence from Portugal in 1975; a hymn to hard-won freedom.
The Legends
Names that echo
Ryan Mendes
Forward · 2010s–20s
Long-serving captain and a face of the islands' rise.
Stopira
Defender · 2010s–20s
Veteran full-back who became a symbol of Cape Verdean grit.
Jovane Cabral
Forward · 2010s–20s
Sporting Lisbon-developed talent leading the attacking line.
Fun Facts
Worth knowing
- 01
With ~525,000 people, Cabo Verde is the third-least populous nation ever to reach a World Cup — behind only Curaçao and Iceland.
- 02
Its qualifying campaign — seven wins, two draws, one defeat — was one of African football's great fairytales.
- 03
The islands' music, 'morna', was honored by UNESCO; superstar Cesária Évora made it world-famous.
At the World Cup
The story so far
An archipelago of half a million people off the West African coast, drawing on a vast global diaspora, qualifies for its first-ever World Cup. The Blue Sharks' rise is one of the headline stories of 2026.
The Blue Sharks arrive
Cabo Verde reaches its first World Cup after a stunning qualifying run — proof that football's smallest nations can dream the biggest dreams.
Group Stage