### [2026-06-26](/feed/2026/06/26/index.md)

##### 2026 FIFA World Cup
# In association football, debutant Cape Verde becomes the smallest nation to qualify for the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup after finishing Group H in second place. 




### Sources:

1. [AFP via France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260627-why-not-cape-verde-eye-seismic-world-cup-shock-against-argentina)
2. [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49192570/cape-verde-w2026-world-cup-knockout-stage-smallest-nation)

### Changes:

1. Debutant Cape Verde becomes the smallest nation to qualify for the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup. [https:--www.espn.com-soccer-story-_-id-49192570-cape-verde-w2026-world-cup-knockout-stage-smallest-nation] _2026-06-27 05:46:52 (First version)_
2. Debutant Cape Verde becomes the smallest nation to qualify for the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup.  _2026-06-27 13:46:39 (Update)_
2. In association football, debutant Cape Verde becomes the smallest nation to qualify for the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup after finishing Group H in second place.  _(Current version)_

### Related:

1. [In association football, the Ivory Coast reaches the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup for the first time after defeating Curaçao 2–0 to place second in Group E. ](/feed/2026/06/25/in-association-football-the-ivory-coast-reaches-the-knockout-stage-of-a-fifa-world-cup-for-the-first-time-after-defeati.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA World Cup, association football_
2. [In association football, Portuguese forward and captain Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cups and Portugal's all-time top goalscorer at the tournament after scoring a brace in the team's 5–0 win over Uzbekistan in the group stage. ](/feed/2026/06/23/in-association-football-portuguese-forward-and-captain-cristiano-ronaldo-becomes-the-first-player-to-score-in-six-diffe.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA World Cup, association football_
3. [In association football, Argentine forward and captain Lionel Messi overtakes Germany's Miroslav Klose as the FIFA World Cup's all-time top-goalscorer with 18 goals after scoring a brace in a 2–0 win over Austria in the group stage. ](/feed/2026/06/22/in-association-football-argentine-forward-and-captain-lionel-messi-overtakes-germany-s-miroslav-klose-as-the-fifa-world.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA World Cup, association football_
4. [In association football, Kevin Pina scores Cape Verde's first-ever goal at a FIFA World Cup in a 2–2 draw against Uruguay in the group stage. ](/feed/2026/06/21/in-association-football-kevin-pina-scores-cape-verde-s-first-ever-goal-at-a-fifa-world-cup-in-a-2-2-draw-against-urugua.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, Cape Verde, FIFA World Cup, Group H, association football_
5. [In association football, FIFA World Cup debutants Curaçao, the smallest nation by population to play at the World Cup, earn their first-ever point at the tournament after drawing 0–0 against Ecuador in the group stage. ](/feed/2026/06/20/in-association-football-fifa-world-cup-debutants-curacao-the-smallest-nation-by-population-to-play-at-the-world-cup-e.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA World Cup, association football_
6. [In association football, Argentine forward and captain Lionel Messi becomes the first male player to appear in six FIFA World Cups and joins Germany's Miroslav Klose as the tournament's all-time leading scorer with 16 goals after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina's 3–0 win against Algeria in their opening match. ](/feed/2026/06/16/in-association-football-argentine-forward-and-captain-lionel-messi-becomes-the-first-male-player-to-appear-in-six-fifa.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA World Cup, association football_
7. [In association football, Curaçao, the smallest nation to qualify for a FIFA World Cup, make their tournament debut and score their first-ever goal in a 7–1 defeat against Germany. ](/feed/2026/06/14/in-association-football-curacao-the-smallest-nation-to-qualify-for-a-fifa-world-cup-make-their-tournament-debut-and-s.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA World Cup, association football_
8. [In association football, the 2026 FIFA World Cup consisting of 48 national teams for the first time begins with matches in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. An opening ceremony is held at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. ](/feed/2026/06/11/in-association-football-the-2026-fifa-world-cup-consisting-of-48-national-teams-for-the-first-time-begins-with-matches.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA World Cup, association football_
9. [Cape Verde qualifies for the FIFA World Cup for first time in its history after defeating Eswatini 3–0 during CAF World Cup qualifiers. ](/feed/2025/10/13/cape-verde-qualifies-for-the-fifa-world-cup-for-first-time-in-its-history-after-defeating-eswatini-3-0-during-caf-world.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, Cape Verde, FIFA World Cup_
10. [In association football, Uzbekistan and Jordan qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time, with Uzbekistan securing a top-two finish in Group A and Jordan advancing from Group B following Iraq's loss to secure their places in the 2026 tournament. ](/feed/2025/06/5/in-association-football-uzbekistan-and-jordan-qualify-for-the-fifa-world-cup-for-the-first-time-with-uzbekistan-securi.md) _Context: 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA World Cup, association football_