Before taking part in the World Cup for the first time
Soccer dwarf surprises with victory against European team
May 31, 2026 – 8:09 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Cape Verde has qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time. In preparation, the island nation was able to celebrate a victory against a big name.
Is there a surprise on the horizon at the World Cup? The African island state of Cape Verde unexpectedly beat Serbia 3-0 (1-0) in a friendly on Sunday in Lisbon. It was the second-biggest win against a European national team in the association’s history – and a test of morale two weeks before the World Cup debut against European champions Spain.
Kevin Pina gave the second smallest World Cup participant in history the lead in the 11th minute. Both coaches changed hands in almost every position during the game. The deciding factor was a double blow: Laros Duarte scored in the 59th minute, followed by Benchimol four minutes later.
Cape Verde has only won higher against a European nation once: the 6-0 win against Liechtenstein in a friendly match in 2022. At the end of March, the World Cup debutants had already beaten Finland. On June 15th, Cape Verde will face Spain in Group H, with Uruguay and Saudi Arabia also waiting as opponents in the group.
