The dream of the Cape Verde national team has become tangible reality at the 2026 World Cup finals being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, after this fighting squad made history by reaching the round of 32 for the first time in its history, setting up a dream encounter with the Argentine national team and its legendary title-holder Lionel Messi in the city of Miami.
This miraculous qualification came after a goalless draw — celebrated like a victory — against Saudi Arabia in the final round, as the "Blue Sharks" finished second in Group 8 behind Spain, with 3 points from three historic draws against the giants of the game: Spain, Uruguay, and then Saudi Arabia. Cape Verde thus became the least populous nation (approximately half a million inhabitants) to advance to the knockout rounds in World Cup history, without needing to wait for the best third-place calculations.
Sports newspapers in Cape Verde were quick to celebrate this unprecedented achievement. The newspaper Expresso das Ilhas published a moving report describing the moment as "the blue miracle that shook the foundations of the World Cup", stressing that the Sharks had not come for a pleasant outing but to send a message to the world that determination triumphs over geographical and financial disparities.
The newspaper added, while covering the sweeping celebrations that took over the streets of the capital Praia until morning, that the match against Argentina and Messi in Miami on 3 July is the grand prize earned by this fighting generation, which long endured the African qualifying rounds before imposing its respect on the vast international stage.
In the same vein, the newspaper A Semana focused on the emotional statements of national coach Bubista and veteran goalkeeper Vozinha, who is 40 years old and has become a national icon and the focus of global media attention after his miraculous saves during the group stage. The newspaper quoted the goalkeeper as saying: "Playing against Argentina and facing the greatest player in history, Lionel Messi, is a childhood dream coming true on the World Cup pitch. We fear no one, because all the pressure will be on the Tango giants."
Local newspapers also noted with great pride a historic statistic published by global monitoring centres, confirming that Cape Verde has become the first debutant nation in World Cup history to face three former and current world champions in a single edition — Spain and Uruguay in the group stage, and Argentina in the round of 32. This reflects the difficulty of their path and the magnitude of the achievement by these players who have come from the small Atlantic islands to prove once again that football recognises no foregone conclusions and always opens its doors of glory to those who believe in miracles.