The World Cup tournament has attracted record television audiences and packed stadiums in Canada, Mexico and here in the U.S. where the world’s most popular sport is being showcased as never before. The hefty roster of games televised, and the sudden familiarity through tv commercials of living legends like Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, and France’s captain and star player Kylian Mbappe has soccer at least temporarily replacing baseball as America’s pastime.
Anyone who has ever played high school soccer can appreciate these powerful players abilities to do seemingly impossible tricks; but the 2026 World Cup will most be remembered for the impossible feats of Cape Verde, the smallest nation by population ever to reach the Knockout Round in the world’s biggest soccer tournament. With the population of just over half a million, Cape Verde is a collection of islands off the West Coast of Africa, A popular winter getaway for European tourists, it clearly was an afterthought when the brackets were being hammered out for the 2026 World Cup tournament.
Cape Verde was expected to be eliminated early with a first round match against mighty Spain. Known internationally as La Roja, the Red, Spain is one of the most reliably powerful teams in the world, perhaps the most powerful. Cape Verde’s team, on the other hand was essentially unknown outside Africa.
They did have one weapon though, a one-name wonder named Vozinha, a long-limbed 40-year-old goalkeeper, gnarly and ancient by World Cup standards. When the final whistle blew, instead of being routed Vozinha had put on a display of grace and toughness that shocked everyone, denying shot after shot, fighting Spain to a 0-0 draw.
Two-time World champion Uruguay was next, and another shocker, another draw, 2-2. Cape Verde was still in it. Then Saudi Arabia and yet another draw, 0-0. Three in a row, accumulating enough points to qualify for the big show, tiny Cape Verde was headed for the knockout round, and a chance to stage the biggest upset in the history of the World Cup. Standing in the way was one of the most powerful teams on earth, defending World Cup champion Colombia, led by its unstoppable, incomparable star Lionel Messi.
On Thursday, appearing on NewsNation I was asked by my friend host Connell McShane why I was rooting for Cape Verde, so tiny and obscure? I answered that I love rooting for the underdog, especially when the country has a population only slightly larger than the holiday crowds at the local Walmart or Costco. We had a house full of guests when the improbable match with Colombia was played. It happened to be the 50th Anniversary of Cape Verde’s independence from Portugal. Improbably, the scrappy, sweating, emotionally drained team soldered on, even after Messi scored, putting Colombia up 2 to 1 in the physical, highly charged match.
Everybody who loves soccer was watching as Cape Verde scored again, tying the match 2-2. We were jumping, high-fiving, backslapping and breath holding. But then the inevitable happened. Colombia scored again, winning the match 3 to 2. Cape Verde was out, but what a run they had. I would love America to have something to rally around.
As I wrote this column, the news broke that President Trump had intervened to reverse the suspension of our star player, Folarin Balogun. Under pressure FIFA complied. That Big Footing is the opposite of Cape Verde’s underdog charm.
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