Cape Verde’s World Cup fairy tale rolled into the streets of Praia on Saturday, as thousands of jubilant supporters swept the Blue Sharks through the capital in a homecoming parade — a celebration sparked not by victory, but by a razor-thin loss to Argentina that stunned the tournament.
Setting off from the airport, the procession moved through Praia’s main districts, with packed crowds lining the route, playing music, waving flags and roaring their approval as the team passed.
The day’s festivities culminated yesterday evening at Cape Verde’s presidential palace, where President Jose Maria Neves saluted the squad’s breakthrough run and declared: “Argentina won, but Cape Verde triumphed”.
The west African archipelago reached the knockout stages on its World Cup debut, captivating supporters at home and winning admirers abroad as it repeatedly exceeded expectations.
Cape Verde players celebrate with the crowd
In a dramatic last-32 showdown in Miami on Friday, Cape Verde took Argentina to the limit before the reigning world champions edged a 3-2 win after extra time.
“If the Cape Verde vs. Argentina match was the most-watched game of the World Cup, you can be sure it wasn’t because of Argentina”, Mr Neves joked, prompting laughter.
The team’s return also coincided with Cape Verde’s Independence Day — a milestone for the nation of just 500,000 people, which was liberated from Portugal in 1975 after around 500 years of Portuguese rule.
“After the heroes who fought for our independence, we now have these heroes – the Blue Sharks”, one supporter said at the airport, where fans gathered in large numbers, many dressed in blue and carrying flags.
Before the parade began, goalkeeper Vozinha told reporters he felt the squad had “achieved something magnificent”, even if he had not yet “fully grasped the magnitude of what we’ve just accomplished”.
Asked what comes next for him, Vozinha kept it simple: “right now, I’m just thinking about getting some rest, and we’ll see what happens next”.
Organisers were forced to drop a planned stop at the National Assembly as the swelling, exuberant crowd made it too difficult to proceed; the Blue Sharks will instead visit the legislature today.
The celebration spilled into the evening at Kebra Kanela beach, Praia’s best-known seaside stretch, where thousands more greeted the team with sustained applause and the thump of drums.
Raised the bar
Coach Bubista, speaking to the media after landing back in Praia, said the tournament run proved Cape Verde’s qualification was earned, insisting that “we demonstrated that our World Cup qualification wasn’t down to luck”.
Crowds turn out for Cape Verde homecoming in Praia
“We showed hard work and resilience, and we left the United States with our heads held high,” he said.
At the airport, supporters craned and jostled for a view of standout players including Sidny Lopes Cabral and Vozinha as they made their way out.
Twelve-year-old Ivan Goncalves said he had been scanning the crowd for Cabral, inspired by his “fabulous goal against Argentina”.
Minister of Culture and Sports Antonio Duarte praised the team and Bubista for “cementing Cape Verde’s status as a great nation”.
Mario Semedo, president of the Cape Verdean Football Federation, said the campaign had set a new standard for the sport in the country.
“The challenges will certainly be greater” he said, adding that “I think we will all be motivated and up to the task”.
