Known for its crystal-clear waters and white sandy beaches, Cape Verde is set to steal the spotlight for very different reasons this summer.The archipelago of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean is making its football World Cup debut in North America, arriving at the global showpiece as one of 10 African representatives.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4How Arsenal overcame their demons to win the Premier League titlelist 2 of 4Arsenal fans erupt after team secures Premier League crownlist 3 of 4Arsenal’s Arteta claims Premier League to step from Guardiola’s shadowlist 4 of 4Southampton expelled from world’s most lucrative football match for spyingend of listCape Verde’s fairy-tale qualification coincided with the its 50th anniversary of independence from Portugal, and the ‘Blue Sharks’ have the chance to give their fans even more to celebrate as they go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world.Here’s everything you need to know about Cape Verde in Al Jazeera’s World Cup minnows series.Cape Verde’s 600,000 inhabitants were given the day off to support their team on the final day of the CAF qualifiers for the World Cup [File: Cristiano Barbosa/AP]How did Cape Verde qualify for the 2026 World Cup?Cape Verde – or Cabo Verde as they are known in Portuguese – qualified directly after an excellent performance in the first round of CAF qualifying.They topped a difficult group, alongside Cameroon and Angola, winning eight of their 10 games to punch their first historic ticket to a World Cup.A 100% record in five home games, and not conceding a goal was pivotal to their progress.On the final day of qualifiers, Cape Verde started two points ahead of Cameroon, whose eight previous World Cup final appearances are the most by any African country. But at the full-time whistle, Cape Verde finished Group D on 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who ultimately crashed out in the second round.With around 600,000 inhabitants and only 4,000 square kilometres of land, Cape Verde is the third-smallest country to qualify for the World Cup after Curacao, which is also making its debut this year, and Iceland, which competed in 2018.Has Cape Verde played in a major tournament?Yes. Cape Verde have played at four Africa Cup of Nations, the continent’s showpiece footballing event. Their best result was reaching the quarter-finals in their inaugural campaign in 2013 and at their last appearance in 2023.They also came close to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but were ultimately eliminated in the last match of the group phase.What is Cape Verde’s FIFA ranking?Cape Verde is ranked 69th, the second-lowest-ranked team among the 10 African representatives at the World Cup this year.Who will Cape Verde face at the 2026 World Cup?Cape Verde are in Group H with Spain, the 2010 champions and frontrunners for the 2026 title, former champions Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, who handed Argentina a shock defeat in the 2022 World Cup. All their group matches will be played in the US.