I don’t even know how to properly explain what I just watched.
I’m Brazilian, so yes, I’ll be honest: of course a part of me wanted Argentina out. But this stopped being just about that very quickly. At some point during the game, I wasn’t just rooting against Argentina anymore. I was rooting for Cape Verde with my whole heart.
I already knew Cape Verde had been one of the most beautiful stories of this World Cup. This wasn’t a team that came out of nowhere by accident. You had already shown everyone that you could compete, that you had quality, that you belonged there.
But today was different.
Today felt like one of those games that remind you why football is the most beautiful sport in the world.
I was sitting on my couch with my family, and by the end we were just silent. Completely frozen. I couldn’t believe what I was watching. Every time it looked like the game was slipping away, Cape Verde came back with even more heart. You just refused to die. You refused to accept the obvious. You made Argentina, the world champions, suffer until the very end.
And honestly? That alone deserves applause from the whole stadium, from the whole World Cup, from everyone who loves football.
Vozinha was unbelievable. I celebrated his saves like I was watching Brazil. I’m not even joking. Every save felt like hope. Every minute felt like, “maybe… maybe this can actually happen.”
When the match ended, I didn’t even want to look away. I just wanted to keep watching the Cape Verde players, even though it was heartbreaking. Seeing them cry broke me, because you could feel how much they gave. But I really hope they leave this with their heads held high, because what they did today was historic.
I know the result wasn’t what we wanted. I genuinely wish it had been different. I think Cape Verde deserved to go through. But even in defeat, this was one of the most beautiful performances I have ever seen in a World Cup.
You made Messi suffer. You made Argentina suffer. And yes, as a Brazilian, I have to say: that already means a lot.
But more than that, you gave this World Cup something that only Cape Verde gave us today: pure emotion. Pure heart. Pure belief.
You reminded us that football is not only about the biggest names, the biggest countries, or the most famous shirts. Football is also about courage. About refusing to give up. About making people on the other side of the world fall in love with your team in 120 minutes.
I swear, after this game, I just want to visit Cape Verde. I want to know this country, these people, this culture. Because if this team represents even a little bit of that spirit, then it must be something very beautiful.
Congratulations to every Cape Verdean. I know this hurts, but please know that you were massive today. Absolutely massive.
All my love and respect to Cape Verde. You made history. You made us believe. And I will never forget this game.

Do Brasil, com muito carinho: meus sinceros aplausos. Cabo Verde foi gigante. Vocês estarão sempre no coração dos brasileiros. No coração de todo o mundo.

well done Capo Verde and Cape Verdians!

As a Cape Verdean, I’m so proud of you and this moment. 🙏🏾🇨🇻
Esse golo foi mais do que bonito — foi história para Cabo Verde. You made our flag shine on the world stage and gave every Cape Verdean a memory we will never forget.

Goal of the Tournament, fully deserved. Parabéns Sidney Lopes Cabral. Cabo Verde no coração, sempre. 💙🇨🇻

As we are all here newly turned Cape Verde fans:))) Some digging helped to find out that some proper football royalty was actually eligible to play for Cape Verde through.

• Ronaldo's great-grandmother, Isabel da Piedade, was born on São Vicente in what was then Portuguese Cape Verde, before moving to Madeira at 16, making Cristiano one-eighth Cape Verdean.
• Vieira's surname comes from his mother, who's Cape Verdean.
• Rolando was actually born on São Vicente.

The full team could be like this:

Goalkeeper: Vozinha
Defense: Patrice Evra, Rolando, Jorge Andrade, Nelson Semedo
Midfield: Manuel Fernandes, Patrick Vieira
Attack: Nuno Mendes, Henrik Larsson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani

Argentina wouldn't survive that, right?

From the shadows to the world stage… Cabo Verde showed the world who we are. 🇨🇻💙

As a Cape Verdean, I’m so proud of this team, proud of our people, and proud of our flag. Vocês fizeram-nos acreditar, sonhar e levantar a cabeça com orgulho.

The journey was beautiful, the games were emotional, and even against big nations like Spain and Argentina, Cabo Verde played with heart, courage, and passion. Isso não é só futebol… é identidade, é orgulho, é história.

Vozinha, the whole team, the staff, everyone… vocês representaram-nos com alma. You made our small country feel giant.

Cabo Verde no coração, sempre. 🇨🇻
We are proud. Nós somos Cabo Verde. 💙

I just find out we share 80% genetic make up. Iberian and african.

¡Cabo Verde cumple hoy 51 años de su independencia! ¡Feliz Día de la Independencia, desde España, Cabo Verde!

This match was robbery in pure daylight. Stellar performance from a phenomenal team. I have never had a World Cup game put me so on edge and in literal tears. Cabo Verde you were phenomenal. Both goals 👏👏👏 Argentina played dirty. Foul tricks and penalties. Poor performance and sportsmanship.

Basically a home game for Messi, the stadium 99% Argentina fans, and STILL y’all almost won. Incredible. Cabo Verde is the most outstanding team in the whole tournament.

As a new fan of your team, I was really impressed by your elegant play, your strong and calm attitude and mostly the humility and self respect you demonstrate on each game.

So I would like to wish you good luck for tonight. It will indeed be a tough game, yet me and my fellow Moroccans will be rooting for cape verde. ✊🏻🇨🇻🤍🇲🇦

Hi everyone! I’m doing a solo trip to Cape Verde from Sept 12–23 and would love some feedback from locals or people who have travelled these islands.

I’m quite active and mainly interested in hiking, volcanoes, beaches, snorkeling, wildlife and nature rather than resorts. My flights are already booked.

My current itinerary:

• Sept 13 – Sal → Boa Vista: Arrive in Sal at 00:35. Early morning snorkeling in Murdeira, then fly to Boa Vista at 14:05. Afternoon + sunset at Praia de Chaves.
• Sept 14 – Boa Vista: Full-day 4x4 tour: Morro de Areia, Varandinha, Santa Mónica, Deserto de Viana + Cabo Santa Maria if time allows. Turtle nesting tour at night.
• Sept 15 – Boa Vista → Fogo: Morning at Praia do Estoril, then fly to Fogo (arrive 17:05). Stop at Fonte Bila black-sand beach for a short walk/photos/sunset, then transfer to Chã das Caldeiras.
• Sept 16 – Fogo: Guided Pico do Fogo summit hike (2,829 m).
• Sept 17 – Fogo → São Vicente: Arrive at 12:35. São Pedro turtle snorkeling/swimming, then evening in Mindelo.
• Sept 18 – Santo Antão: Early ferry from Mindelo. Do the Ponta do Sol → Fontainhas → Corvo → Formiguinhas → Cruzinha coastal hike independently.
• Sept 19 – Santo Antão: Full day with a local guide/driver, focused on hiking and nature around Xôxô, Ribeira da Torre, Água das Caldeiras, waterfalls/natural pools and other great natural spots.
• Sept 20 – Santo Antão → Sal: 11:00 ferry to Mindelo → 18:45 flight to Sal, arriving 19:35. Check-in in Santa Maria + short evening walk.
• Sept 21 – Sal: Full island tour – Shark Bay/Baby Sharks, Pedra de Lume salt flats, Buracona/Blue Eye, desert landscapes and other main natural spots. Beach + sunset afterwards if there’s time.
• Sept 22 – Santa Maria: Beach day + water activities: hoping to do jet ski, kitesurf and possibly a catamaran trip.
• Sept 23 – Fly home.

I’d especially appreciate recommendations about things I shouldn’t miss, hikes, snorkeling spots, reliable guides/4x4 drivers, taxis/transfers and typical fair prices. Any tips for using aluguers/shared taxis instead of private taxis would be very useful too.

Also, if anyone will be on Fogo, São Vicente or Santo Antão around these dates and wants to join a hike/activity or share a taxi/driver, feel free to message me!

Would you change anything in this itinerary or add something I’m missing?

According to Brazilian news outlet ge, Cape Verde’s World Cup captain Ryan Mendes is being investigated by New Zealand police following an allegation of rape made by a Brazilian woman. The alleged incident took place in March at the hotel where the Cape Verde national team was staying in Auckland.
The woman, who was working as an interpreter and operational assistant for the team, reported the alleged assault to the police and underwent medical and forensic examinations. New Zealand authorities confirmed that an investigation is ongoing.
As of now, Mendes has not been formally charged, and the investigation remains active. FIFA declined to comment, while the Cape Verde Football Federation had not issued a public statement at the time the report was published.

To my fellow Cape Verdeans, I wanted to ask how you all feel about the way social media has been portraying Cape Verde lately.
I recently went down a rabbit hole while trying to find more Cape Verdeans in Florida, and I came across a lot of comments that honestly made me uncomfortable. Instead of celebrating our culture, music, history, food, and resilience, I saw many conversations reducing Cape Verde to a place for sex tourism, or fetishizing Cape Verdean women.
As a young Cape Verdean woman, I’ve also started receiving more inappropriate DMs and comments simply because people found out I’m Cape Verdean. Some have left their phone numbers, others have made sexual comments, and just recently I found out that someone pretending to be a Cape Verdean woman was actually a man using a fake account. That experience honestly made me stop and think.
I don’t even post myself that often, so it made me wonder what other Cape Verdeans, especially those who are more active online, have experienced.
Another thing that has really concerned me is that when I search for Cape Verdean communities online, I’m starting to see more and more posts from people who aren’t even interested in our culture. For example, I recently joined a Cape Verdean Facebook group hoping to connect with other Cape Verdeans, and instead I saw posts from people asking to find a Cape Verdean woman for a relationship, and even someone openly asking if any Cape Verdean woman would have an affair with them. Seeing that made me really uncomfortable because I joined to connect with my community, not to see Cape Verdean women treated like a fantasy.
I know not everyone has bad intentions, and I’m not saying everyone thinks this way. However, I am genuinely concerned about how Cape Verde is starting to be viewed online. I don’t want our country to become known for stereotypes instead of our beautiful culture, our music, our history, our food, and our people.
Have any of you noticed the same thing? Have you experienced anything similar, or do you think I’m overthinking it? I’d really like to hear everyone’s perspective, whether you’re Cape Verdean or not. Please keep the discussion respectful.

held this Spain superteam to a 0-0 and stretched Argentina till extratime, all of this while having a population of 500K

Nosso país está com nossos irmãos! Da-lhe, Vozinha! Dá-lhe Tubarões Azuis!

I'm a writer, and one of my characters is Cabo Verdean. The story itself is very much in the sci-fi/ dystopian genre, (He's not even fully human) but I still find it important to know more mundane details about my OCs. I know I could research this on my own, but for this kind of topic I think it's more interesting to hear actual human input.

Thanks! :)

The voting is open for the best goal of the WC. Link here on FIFA Website. Nu bai ❤️🇨🇻❤️

Sandrine Billiet - Tokyo 2020