You may never have heard of Cape Verde — a small island nation off the coast of Africa with a population of only about 530,000. At this World Cup, they reached the finals for the first time and pushed all the way into the knockout stage, becoming the least populous country ever to make a men’s World Cup knockout round.
In the stands, the fans wore that pride on their bodies. One group of shirtless men each painted a single letter on his chest, and standing together they spelled out the name of their goalkeeper, “Vozinha.” Another woman, her face painted with the national flag, held up a handwritten sign that read: “Small Islands, Big Dreams.”
Vozinha, the 40-year-old veteran keeper, put it most movingly: “We are small, but we have big hearts, and we are fighters.” And it was no exaggeration — in the group stage Cape Verde held pre-tournament favorites Spain to a draw and battled Uruguay to a 2-2 tie, looking nothing like newcomers.
The journey did eventually reach its end, but for an island of 530,000 people, simply standing on the world’s biggest stage was already a win. Small islands, big dreams indeed.
Sources: ESPN; Al Jazeera (2026 World Cup coverage, June-July).
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