Cape Verde's World Cup Squad Gets Hero's Welcome Home on Independence Day

The Cape Verde national football team, the Blue Sharks, returned to a heroes' welcome on Sunday, July 5, after their historic run to the World Cup round of 16, where they pushed Argentina to extra time before falling 3-2. The team became the least populous nation ever to reach the knockout stages of the men's World Cup, a feat celebrated by thousands of fans in the capital Praia, coinciding with Cape Verde's Independence Day Source: apnews. Fans lined the streets as players rode an open-top truck to Quebra Canela beach for a homecoming celebration, with goalkeeper Vozinha addressing the crowd Source: cna. The BBC reported 'tens of thousands' of supporters created a carnival atmosphere at the airport, with drumming and dancing Source: bbc. Defender Pico Lopes said, 'We gave it all for Cape Verde' Source: apnews. The team's World Cup journey included draws against former champions Spain and Uruguay and a fearless extra-time performance against Argentina, drawing international acclaim Source: cna. Adding to the celebrations, Cape Verde's men's basketball team clinched a berth in the second round of the 2027 World Cup qualifying, beating Libya on the same day, as noted by AP News. Coach Emanuel Trovoada remarked, 'This is historic. This is important,' linking the soccer team's return and the basketball qualification as a double celebration for the small island nation of about 500,000 people Source: apnews.