Cape Verde Closer to First-Ever World Cup After 2–0 Win Over Mauritius

Cape Verde, a small island country off the west coast of Africa with about 525,000 people, has moved one step closer to qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. They beat Mauritius 2–0 in an important Group D match.

Cabral and Borges on Target

Jovane Cabral, who plays club football in Portugal, scored the first goal in the 22nd minute. Diney Borges, who plays in the United Arab Emirates, made it 2–0 in the 71st minute in Saint-Pierre, Mauritius.

Group D: Tight at the Top

This win takes Cape Verde, also known as the Blue Sharks, to 16 points — just one point ahead of Cameroon. Cameroon is one of Africa’s most successful teams, having played in the World Cup eight times.

Meanwhile, in Yaoundé, Cameroon kept the pressure on by beating Eswatini 3–0. Bryan Mbeumo, who recently joined Manchester United, provided two assists in that match.

What’s Next for Cape Verde?

Cape Verde will now return home to play Cameroon in Praia. A win in that match will greatly improve their chances of topping the group. After that, they will play away against Libya and then finish with a home match against Eswatini in October. Just three more points from those two matches may be enough to send them to their first World Cup.

Coach Bubista Leading the Way

Cape Verde’s strong form comes under coach Pedro Leitao Brito, better known as Bubista. He became head coach in 2020 and led the team to the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals last year in Ivory Coast.

Elsewhere in Qualifying:

• Libya surprised Angola with a 1–0 win away in Luanda, moving up to third in Group D.

• Ghana, leaders of Group I, drew 1–1 with Chad, ending their winning run.

• Madagascar won 2–0 away to Central African Republic, who played in Morocco due to stadium problems.

• Equatorial Guinea made a big comeback to beat São Tomé e Príncipe 3–2 after being 2–0 down at half-time.