Cape Verde arrived in the United States as 67th-ranked outsiders, but they depart as one of the most celebrated stories in World Cup history.
In a tournament featuring Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, it was the Blue Sharks who captured the imagination of fans across the globe.
Their journey had everything — a heroic goalless draw against European champions Spain, their first World Cup goals against Uruguay, and a stunning near-upset against reigning world champions Argentina.
When extra time ended in Miami, Cape Verde’s players slumped to the turf following a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat by Argentina, but they had won the hearts of millions watching worldwide.
Former Scotland international James McFadden, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, captured the mood perfectly with a simple observation about what the Blue Sharks had achieved.
“Cape Verde have lost, but they’ve won,” McFadden said. “They have shown courage, togetherness, unity and unwavering belief in what they are and what they can do.”
“The story of this tournament is Cape Verde,” McFadden added. “That is what you want to see in a football side.”
Against Argentina, Cape Verde fell behind to a Messi goal before levelling at 1-1 and forcing extra time in one of the competition’s most dramatic encounters.
They fell behind again in extra time, only for Sidny Lopes Cabral to strike a wonder goal and level the score once more, before a cruel deflection off Diney Borges from Cristian Romero’s header ultimately ended their dream.
Former England right-back Gary Neville told ITV it was “one of the greatest performances” he had ever seen from an underdog, adding that the heartbroken players simply did not want their World Cup adventure to end.
“They are crying because they are going home,” Neville said. “They don’t want to go home. They want to be here for the rest of their lives.”
Cape Verde manager Bubista was bursting with pride after his side came within ten minutes of forcing Argentina into a penalty shootout, praising his players for making history.
“We showed that we may be a small country but we can play against the best teams in the world,” Bubista said. “We made history for our country. They can be proud for representing our country.”
Shamrock Rovers centre-back Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes, who featured in all four of Cape Verde’s matches, reflected on just how much the tournament had changed perceptions of his nation.
“One of the best things to come from this World Cup is nobody asks where Cape Verde is on the map any more — this is history in itself for us,” Lopes told BBC Sport.
Goalkeeper Vozinha became perhaps the tournament’s most unlikely cult hero, his tears and pride after the Spain clean sheet circulating worldwide and turning him into a global sensation overnight.
The 40-year-old is currently without a club after his contract with Portuguese second division side Chaves expired, but Neville believes that situation will not last long.
“Vozinha is going to get a good club off the back of this,” Neville said on ITV. “What a World Cup. Everything that he does is calm and composed. Where has he been? We should have met him before.”
Vozinha finished the tournament with 18 saves in total, the third highest of any goalkeeper, behind only Curacao’s Eloy Room with 20 and Paraguay’s Orlando Gill with 19.
Former England striker Ian Wright used Cape Verde’s story to call on Fifa to ensure tournament funds reach smaller nations, so more moments like this can be produced in future.
“What this does show people is that when you give people the opportunity they can get onto the biggest stage no matter how small they are,” Wright said. “It was a Herculean effort from them, absolutely.”
