The chances of Cape Verde qualifying for the Russia 2018 World Cup are all but extinguished, as they sit third in Group D of the African qualifiers, with six points from five games. With only one game left for them, the maximum they can get is nine points.
Already, Senegal tops the group with eight points from four games and will qualify for the World Cup if they beat South Africa in one of the two-legged games billed for next month. The South Africans will qualify, however, if they get four points from the Senegalese.
But having come close, Cape Verdians had already dreamt of what it would feel like to play at the World Cup.
Speaking with omasports in Hungary, one of the top players of the Cape Verde national football team, who plays for Videoton FC in Hungary, Ianique dos Santos Tavares, popularly known as Stopira said: “I can not imagine how it would feel if Cape Verde qualifies for the World Cup but it would be amazing.”
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“It will be a big story worldwide. We are a small and very humble nation. We don’t have so much wealth but our biggest asset is the people who work hard to see their dreams come true. To represent your country at the World Cup will mean a lot.
“A world cup ticket will also earn our country respect because football in Cape Verde is not too professional right now and a world cup ticket will help change all that. The dream of every young player in Cape Verde is to move to Europe, if we qualify for the World Cup, it will increase the market value of our players. We have to continue to play and improve so we can make our people happy,” he said.
