'We've already won' - As Cape Verde faces the impossible, World Cup minnows revel in their moment in the spotlight

Cape Verde achieved independence from Portugal in 1975. It was strangely appropriate that they qualified for a World Cup just a few months after celebrating the 50th anniversary of their independence. That marked not only a footballing milestone but also a cultural one.

"A lot of people told us we were a country that wouldn't survive. We've had only 50 years of independence. We've been working hard, and now we are a country with a very strong economy," Augusto Gugas, former minister of Culture and Creative Industries, told GOAL from his home in Cape Verde.

Soccer was an important vehicle for that success. Cape Verde has a tourism-based economy. The country consists of 10 islands, roughly 400 miles off the west coast of Senegal. The national government recognized that culture, including sports, music and art, would be a vital way not only to maintain national pride but also to keep the country connected.

"We've been an example to Africa and also the world about how you can be resilient without natural resources. Our people have been achieving success economically, in sports and in many other areas," Gugas said.

In 2025, Cape Verde hosted 1.25 million tourists. Simply qualifying for the World Cup is expected to increase that number. Or, at least, that's the opportunity Gugas sees.

"We believe the World Cup will bring us many more tourists and much more interest from people coming to visit our country," he said.

Success in other sports has followed as well. Cape Verde are now regulars at the FIBA World Cup. They will compete in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations at the end of July for the first time.

"Our government invested a lot of money in the national team, in the games, in the preparation, in giving them the chance to rest and in providing direct flights from African countries instead of commercial flights, so they can have more time to recover," Gugas said.

Yet the men's World Cup feels different.

Marvin Resende always knew, even if it feels a bit ridiculous to say out loud. The first-generation Cape Verdean American was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, but he returns to Cape Verde two or three times a year. Cape Verde's diaspora extends worldwide and has a significant presence in the United States. Resende is one of more than 100,000 Cape Verdeans who live in the U.S.

He had been taught to dream big as a kid. He also loved soccer. He watched Benfica in Portugal's top flight with his father. He rooted for Brazil's national team at times but always kept Cape Verde close to his heart, even as they struggled to make an impact in African football. But he knew their day would come.

"We've always known that, whether it was through football or another medium, we've always known that one day we'll be recognized on a global stage and people will know who we are. We just didn't know how or when it was going to happen," Resende told GOAL.

But that didn't mean it was easy. Qualification, in truth, had been building for a while. Programs such as FIFA Forward, alongside significant investment from the local government, made it possible for the Blue Sharks to improve as a footballing nation. Reaching into their global diaspora, as so many nations have done in recent years, also raised the level.

"Things kind of changed because our players started going to bigger teams in bigger leagues. And we started recruiting from our diaspora, the sons of Cape Verdeans. So now we have players who were born in the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, France and the USA," Gusto said.

World Cup qualification was sealed on Oct. 13, 2025. It was an emotional moment for Cape Verdeans around the world.

"When we qualified, it was a big, big party. And it's been a dream since then," Gusto said.

When Resende was picking out games to attend, he couldn't make up his mind. His father had heard that a large group of Cape Verdeans were planning to travel south for the game against Spain in Atlanta. Resende was a perennial optimist, a total believer. But even he couldn't stomach the possibility of that matchup.

"I was like, 'I don't know about that one, bro. I feel more comfortable going to the Uruguay or Saudi Arabia game,'" Resende recalled.

But his father kept pushing, kept believing.

"He was like, 'You never know, it's soccer.' That's all he kept saying," Resende said.

In the end, Resende stayed in New York. He had meetings, anyway. One of his brothers and a host of relatives made the trip. Resende thought it would be a journey that ended in defeat.

And so did everyone else. Before the game, Josslyn sent a text to goalkeeper Vozinha, a good friend of hers, wishing him luck. He replied before kickoff. She was shocked.

"I was like, 'You should be at the game!' and he was like, 'Yeah, thank you,'" Josslyn said with a laugh.

What followed was one of the most dramatic draws in World Cup history. Spain pushed and pushed and pushed. They had 74 percent possession, took 27 shots and peppered the Cape Verdean goal. But 40-year-old Vozinha, who plays for Chaves in Portugal's second division, made save after save. Cape Verde kept an improbable clean sheet. Resende watched from his office.

"I was in the middle of a meeting, and when the match ended, I jumped up in my chair. Then I was like, 'Sorry, guys!' It was insane. I was about to cry in this meeting," Resende said.

Vozinha's social media following spiked after that. At the time of writing, he has nearly 20 million followers on Instagram. He became famous overnight. He was once an unknown goalkeeper playing out the final years of his career. Now, he's a national hero.

"It was a great thing for us. I don't think the world understands. It just makes us think everything is possible, and we shouldn't give up on our dreams," Josslyn said.

There was absolutely no way Resende was going to miss the Uruguay fixture. He took his Dad that time for Father's Day. The task was relatively simple. After drawing with Spain, Cape Verde needed two points from their remaining two games to have a chance of qualifying for the Round of 32. What seemed improbable a few weeks earlier was now a faint possibility.

Resende traveled to Miami for the game and hoped for a great atmosphere.

"I knew we have a heavy community in the state of Florida. There's a massive Cape Verdean community. So I already knew, growing up, there was going to be a big presence, probably," Resende said.

And he was right. Cape Verde fans went viral for their nonstop chanting throughout the match.

"It was insane, the feeling, marching, seeing all the fans from different countries, seeing our jersey and hearing, 'Yo, I'm rooting for you guys today,'" he said.

Cape Verde took the lead early, surrendered it, fell behind, but equalized in the 61st minute. The rest of the match was a nervous slog. But Resende, true to form, never stopped believing.

"By halftime, we were depressed after giving up those two quick goals. But after we drew level, there was no other feeling. I've never felt like that. After that, I was like, 'Damn, I want to live that again,'" he said.

Perhaps the most rewarding part for Resende, Josslyn and so many others was the recognition. There are maps that don't even include Cape Verde. Resende knows all too well the looks of confusion that often came when he told people he was Cape Verdean. The explanations were never simple. Having to explain exactly where your country is to the average person isn't the best feeling.

But now the rest of the world knows.

September Cafe has become a hub for Cape Verdeans in New York. It's a relatively small but immensely popular cafe in Bushwick. For every game, owner Sara Lopes has hosted dozens of Cape Verdeans and casual soccer fans alike, all gathering to watch a team that some of them didn't even know existed. The feeling of advancing out of the group stage was pure ecstasy.

"I was at September with a community of Cape Verdeans and Cape Verde supporters, and we jumped, screamed, shouted, danced, cried and felt every emotion. It reminded me how resilient we are as a people," she told GOAL.

And now, the football gets a bit trickier. Argentina are as tough as international opponents come. They are the reigning World Cup champions. Lionel Messi is playing some of his best soccer in years. Miami will feel like an Argentine home game. Spain was a mismatch in Atlanta. Argentina seem like an impossible task.

But if there's one thing this fan base does well, it's believe. Of course, everything will have to go absolutely perfectly. Vozinha will have to deliver another standout performance. Cape Verde will have to be resilient and opportunistic.

"I know it's going to be very, very hard. We have to play the best game we've ever played and make no mistakes. We have to pray for Messi not to be on a good day," Gusto said.

It doesn't help, either, that Cape Verde is full of Messi fans. Many admire the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. In the best possible way, some are happy that Messi will give people a reason to watch.

"We wouldn't want it any other way, to be honest. We're here for the recognition," Resende said. "Who else is going to bring more eyes than Lionel Messi himself?"

September Cafe will be loud. Hundreds of thousands around the world wearing Cape Verde shirts, and perhaps millions more who aren't, will be rooting for what would certainly be the biggest World Cup upset of all time. It seems impossible, improbable, basically unheard of.

But this is a country that has heard those odds before.

"We're winning," Lopes said. "We've already won."