The Cape Verde national team touched down at Nelson Mandela International Airport in Praia on Sunday to a reception that fused sporting achievement with national celebration. The squad’s arrival, deliberately scheduled by the football federation, coincided with the 51st anniversary of independence from Portugal. Thousands of supporters, many clad in the team’s blue, lined the airport perimeter and surrounding streets. Footage shared by the federation showed ground staff on the tarmac bowing in unison as the aircraft taxied to the gate, a gesture that captured the depth of public feeling. The players were then driven through the capital in an open-top parade, past drummers and dancers, before being received by President José Maria Neves at the presidential palace.

Cape Verde had entered the tournament as debutants, ranked 67th in the world and representing a nation of roughly half a million people. Drawn into Group H alongside Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, the Blue Sharks held the European champions to a goalless draw, then drew 2–2 with Uruguay and 0–0 with Saudi Arabia. Those three results, achieved without a single defeat in regulation time, secured passage to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed sides. In doing so, Cape Verde became the smallest country by population ever to advance beyond the group phase of a men’s World Cup.

The round-of-32 contest in Miami pitted them against defending champions Argentina. Cape Verde fell behind to a Lionel Messi goal but equalised to force extra time at 1–1. In the additional period, Sidny Lopes Cabral produced a long-range strike to level the score at 2–2 after Argentina had edged ahead. The decisive moment came in the 119th minute, when a Cristian Romero header deflected off defender Diney Borges and into the net, sealing a 3–2 victory for the South Americans. Goalkeeper Vozinha, aged 40, had earlier drawn widespread attention for a series of saves across the tournament, including multiple denials of Messi, and his social-media following surged from around 200,000 to nearly 26 million during the competition.

Head coach Pedro Leitão Brito, known as Bubista, told reporters after landing that the team had demonstrated its qualification was “not down to luck” and that the squad left the United States “with our heads held high.” President Neves, in a formal address, linked the footballers’ resilience to the country’s post-colonial journey. The homecoming also highlighted Cape Verde’s diaspora connections: among the crowd, Brazilian flags were visible, a nod to the cultural and linguistic ties between the two Portuguese-speaking nations.

While the footballers were being feted, the men’s basketball team secured a berth in the second round of 2027 World Cup qualifying with a victory over Libya on the same day. The dual success, unfolding on Independence Day, underscored a remarkable weekend for Cape Verdean sport and left both squads with concrete next steps: the footballers will disperse to their clubs, while the basketball side resumes its qualifying campaign in August.