Former Cabo Verde Football Association president Victor Adolfo Osorio called the country’s first-ever World Cup outing “more than satisfactory,” as thousands of ecstatic supporters filled the streets of Praia to welcome the Blue Sharks home after a narrow last-32 defeat to Argentina.
“We are very proud,” Osorio said, reflecting on a tournament in which the small island nation reached the knockout stage on its World Cup debut.
On Sunday, the celebration parade started at Praia’s airport and then made its way through the capital’s main thoroughfares. Fans packed the route so tightly that the players’ movement was slowed at times, with songs and music carried by supporters throughout. A planned stop at the National Assembly was scrapped because of the crowd size, although the squad were still expected to meet the country’s president later that evening.
Cabo Verde’s exit was decided in dramatic fashion in Miami on Friday, where the Blue Sharks pushed reigning world champions Argentina into extra time before falling 3-2. Their return home also coincided with Cape Verde Independence Day, marking 51 years since the archipelago won liberation from nearly five centuries of Portuguese rule.
“After the heroes who fought for our independence, we now have these heroes – the Blue Sharks,” fan Edmilson Correia, 28, told AFP at the airport, where supporters had turned out in blue and many waved national flags.
Goalkeeper Vozinha had described the achievement ahead of the parade as “something magnificent,” adding that he had not yet “fully grasped the magnitude of what we’ve just accomplished.”
The homecoming concluded at Kebra Kanela beach, where thousands more supporters applauded and drummed as the players arrived.
Head coach Bubista said after landing in Praia that the run showed qualification “wasn’t down to luck.” He added: “We showed hard work and resilience, and we left the United States with our heads held high.”
Midfielder Sidny Lopes Cabral received special praise from supporters, and 12-year-old Ivan Goncalves pointed to his goal against Argentina as the moment that won over fans.
Cabo Verde Football Federation president Mario Semedo said the tournament “raised the bar” for football in the country, adding: “The challenges will certainly be greater… I think we will all be motivated and up to the task.” Minister of Culture and Sports Antonio Duarte credited the Blue Sharks and their coaching staff with “cementing Cape Verde’s status as a great nation.”
Celebrations began in Praia in the early hours of Saturday, immediately after the final whistle in Miami.
