Will Cape Verde win the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Cape Verde are one of the best “incredible story, brutally hard path” teams in this whole market. This is exactly why the whales have almost written the title outcome out of the script. On the field, the story is fantastic. Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) qualified for their first ever World Cup by winning a stacked CAF Group D ahead of Cameroon, Angola, Libya, Eswatini and Mauritius, taking 23 points from 10 games with a +8 goal difference. Under coach Bubista they’ve quietly turned into a serious African tournament side: four of the last six AFCONs, two quarterfinal runs, and now the smallest country by land area and one of the least populous ever to reach a World Cup. The 26‑man squad is led by long‑time captain Ryan Mendes plus key figures like goalkeeper Vozinha and European‑based players spread across Portugal, Spain and MLS. The group draw, though, is ruthless. Cape Verde open against Spain in Atlanta, then face Uruguay in Miami and Saudi Arabia in Houston, in a Group H where Spain are clear favorites and both Uruguay and Saudi Arabia have real tournament pedigree. In an expanded 48‑team format they do get extra outs — top two in the group plus some third‑place teams advance. However, even their own federation and most previews talk about “how far can they go” in terms of making knockouts, not lifting the trophy.