Horns can be heard for miles and miles, accompanying the melody of the celebratory chants of the Cape Verdean people. Across our merciless ocean, the familiar feeling of longing of the diaspora intensifies. With each video, text, and photo of the celebrations, a sole wish fills their hearts: Take me home. A collective dream that not long ago seemed so far, yet it came so fast. 

 Our first World Cup. I remember studying world maps with my grandparents when I was younger, and in many of them, Cape Verde was absent. Twenty years later, I am mostly met with “Where is that?” when I answer the question of where I’m from. “It’s in West Africa; it’s very small; you probably never heard of it”, it’s my usual follow-up. I was in Indonesia when we qualified for the Cup. I remember going to dinner a few days later and talking to a local who asked me where I was from. “Cape Verde.” I replied, expecting the same familiar script to follow, but instead, I was met with “Oh yes! The smallest country to qualify for the World Cup!” 

What I felt in that moment, I believe, can only be felt by other Cape Verdeans. 

In a country as small as Cape Verde, to be known is to be loved, and our music was the first to break those barriers. Artists in Cape Verde are like our heroes. We all have heard how Cesaria put Cape Verde on the map, and today we see other artists continuing to do so. Nothing makes us happier than knowing that our Culture is loved internationally as much as it is nationally, and this wouldn’t be different with football. 

Like most countries in the world, football is also part of us. People are born already rooting for a team, and this loyalty normally lasts a lifetime. Many play for fun, and many play with the dream of one day becoming professionals and playing alongside their heroes. Game days bring overwhelming joy to people, as many stop for a ninety-minute rollercoaster of emotions. 

The World Cup is not just about the games. It’s a culture, and Cape Verde gets to be part of it for the first time. 

In our case, it’s not about victory. It’s about community. It’s about seeing our players who have dedicated their lives to the sport get to where every football player wants to be. It’s about rooting for those who are planting the seed for future dreamers to keep dreaming big. It’s about knowing the world is seeing us and rooting for us too. And as long as we have that, the odds will always be in our favor. 

LET’S GO TUBARÕES AZUIS!