Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw against European champion Spain was a historic World Cup result, one of the greatest shocks in World Cup history. The underdog African nation had never stepped onto the World Cup stage until Monday in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Spain entered the tournament as a favorite to win it; a team replete with global stars, including 19-year-old Barcelona phenom Lamine Yamal.A win at a World Cup can be taxing for even the best teams, so nothing was guaranteed for Spain, ranked third in the most recent FIFA rankings. Cape Verde is 64th in the world, but who is counting now?Cape Verde players salute supporters after shocking result against Spain. (Rich von Biberstein / Getty Images)When the final whistle blew, and Cape Verde had secured their first World Cup point, the boisterous section of blue jerseys inside the stadium erupted. Players sprinted to that corner and soaked up the adulation before taking a ceremonial victory lap around the field. It was a moment that this World Cup may not have necessarily needed, but one that provided the people of Cape Verde with a treasured memory.“Fifty years ago, when we gained our independence, they said we were a failed state,” Alfredo Pina, who traveled to Atlanta from Cape Verde, told The Athletic. “No resources, no water. But we always do the impossible. That’s our people. That’s the DNA.”Cape Verde barely got a glimpse of the ball as Spain completed 801 passes and held 74 percent of the possession. But a disciplined defensive effort and tireless running from the African nation kept the Europeans off the scoresheet.Alfredo Pina traveled to Atlanta from Cape Verde to watch his nation play in the World Cup. (Felipe Cardenas / The Athletic)Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who plays his club football for second-tier Portuguese side Chaves, was the standout performer. His compatriots celebrated his seven saves in the stands as if it were a well-worked goal.Kevin, a Cape Verde-born Rhode Island resident, who had the Cape Verde national flag draped around his waist, believes Vozinha should be honored in a very specific way.“He deserves a statue in the (Cape Verde) capital, for sure,” he said. “Our players put their blood, tears, sweat, and soul into that field. They played for us. Our first-ever World Cup, to go against the defending champs of Europe and to fight like that. I couldn’t be more proud.”“He deserves everything,” said Luis Barbosa, 27. “I saw him start from the first (World Cup) qualifier (in June 2024), and now I see what he’s doing right now. It’s so amazing. I’m still dreaming. It’s not real.”Goalkeeper Vozinha did not concede a goal against Spain (Maddie Meyer/FIFA via Getty Images)Afterwards, in the Atlanta fan fest, a DJ in a Cape Verde jersey played Creole-inspired dance tracks under the hot sun. Fans from all over, in different national team kits, danced together, eventually forming a traditional conga line. Cindy, 32, a first-generation Cape Verdean, also from Rhode Island, stood in the shade with her mother, taking in the scenes.“It was just such a blessing,” she said. “We’re the second-smallest country at the World Cup; just to make it here was a blessing. Our first time qualifying. It was just so emotional. Those 11 players on the field were supported by an entire country. Those are all our children, all our brothers, all our cousins.”Curacao is the smallest nation at the tournament and, like Cape Verde, qualified for the first time. On Sunday in Houston, four-time world champions Germany trounced Curacao 7-1. Many expected a similar result would follow when Cape Verde faced Spain.After the draw, fans in different national team kits danced together, eventually forming a traditional conga line. (Felipe Cardenas / The Athletic)Instead, Cape Verde now has a realistic chance of advancing to the knockout stage if it can follow up Monday’s draw with similar performances, first against Uruguay on June 21 and then Saudi Arabia on June 27.“Just coming from a small country, with a small population … and then the aspect of bringing everybody together, is something that’s very unexpected,” said Manny, 40, another Cape Verde national and Rhode Island resident.“From the national anthem, tears were coming out of my eyes. Just having those goosebumps… Cape Verde has a 1 percent chance of winning this tournament. Today was an accomplishment.”“I never lost my faith,” said Edna Mendes, 58, from Cape Verde. “I always think that 1% was something, you know? I even cried when we tied.”Cape Verdean Americans in Massachusetts and Rhode Island make up the largest Cape Verdean diaspora in the U.S. They were well-represented in Atlanta. Every Cape Verdean that spoke to The Athletic was either from Massachusetts or Rhode Island. And all of them plan on attending their national team’s two remaining matches in Miami and Houston.Before Monday’s dramatic result, Cape Verdeans were part of the global World Cup audience that tuned into the tournament every four years. To have become the story of the World Cup after one game was difficult to put into words for Aledo Varela, 37.Cape Verde now has a chance to make it to its first knockout stage. (Felipe Cardenas / The Athletic)After a long pause, he said, “This was their first game on the biggest stage in the world. They showed up. They shocked the world. Growing up as a Cape Verdean kid, we always had to root for Spain or France or Germany. But now we can say we want to win this because we never had the option. And now we do. This was the most entertaining 0-0 game I’ve ever seen in my life.“Going way back to 1994, my first World Cup watching back in Cape Verde and now I’m here,” he added, emotionally. “To be in the stadium and sing the national anthem with the team, knowing everyone back home is doing the same thing. It brought back memories and tears.”The World Cup can be both cruel and incredibly inspirational. Cape Verde tasted glory against Spain when the odds were stacked against them. Now they can celebrate and wonder what this day can do for the future of Cape Verde football.“Opportunity. It’s an opportunity for the youth of Cape Verde” said Manny. “It’s going to be something to motivate the youth to be better as time goes by.”