JAKARTA - Tanjung Verde will compete in the World Cup for the first time after defeating Eswatini 3-0 to win Group D of the 2026 African Zone Qualification World Cup (CAF).
The volcanic archipelago off the west coast of Africa has secured one of the nine automatic places for the continent.
Tanjung Verde will be the country with the second smallest population participating in the tournament after Iceland in 2018.
Dailon Livramento scored in the 48th minute, Willy Semedo in the 54th minute, and Stopira in injury time to secure home win and first place in Group D.
The Blue Sharks finished four more points than Cameroon, which was only able to score 0-0 against Angola at home.
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Tanjung Verde, a country of about 525,000 people, comes hoping to win, and qualify even with defeats, provided Cameroon does not beat Angola.
The moment did not escape the attention of FIFA President, Gianni Infantino.
"The historic moment for Tanjung Verde in the 2026 World Cup Qualification gets a ticket to the United States, Canada and Mexico."
"Next year, your flag will be raised and your national anthem will be sung at the 2026 World Cup - the best of all time. Enjoy this moment!" Infantino wrote on his personal Instagram.
Interestingly, in the last qualifying match, the Tanjung Verde match ticket was sold in a short time.
According to FIFA, the local government announced a half-day holiday across the country so that people can watch matches to support their team in creating history.
Meanwhile, nine CAF Zone group winners automatically qualified for the 2026 World Cup. The four best runners-up will play in a mini tournament consisting of two semifinals and one final in November 2026.
The playoff winner will advance to the interconfederation playoffs against teams from Asia, Concacaf, Conmebol, and Oceania.
Piala Dunia 2026 adalah yang pertama dengan jumlah diperluas menjadi 48 tim, naik dari 32 tim.
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