A country with fewer people than Albuquerque, New Mexico just booked a ticket to the World Cup knockout round. Cape Verde, an archipelago off the west coast of Africa with a population of approximately 525,000, advanced to the round of 32 after drawing all three of its group stage matches.
Here’s the thing: they didn’t just survive the group stage against minnows. They held Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia to draws. In their first World Cup appearance. Ever.
Three draws, one historic outcome
Cape Verde finished second in Group H, earning three points from three draws. That was enough to punch through to the expanded knockout round, where they will face reigning champions Argentina.
To put the population figure in context, 525,000 people is roughly the size of Luxembourg or the city of Fresno. The previous record holders for smallest nation at a World Cup were already tiny, but Cape Verde is now the third smallest country by population to even appear at the tournament, and the smallest to advance beyond group play.
