Cape Verde beat Eswatini 3-0 on Monday to secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup, booking their place in football's global showpiece for the very first time.

The team from an archipelago off the coast of Senegal with about 550,000 inhabitants becomes the second-least populous nation to reach the World Cup, after Iceland, with just over 350,000, at Russia 2018.

Cape Verde won Group D with 23 points, four more than Cameroon, who hold the African record for World Cup appearances with eight. Cameroon were held 0-0 by Angola in Yaounde.

"Giving this happiness to these people is enormous – it's a victory for all the Cape Verdean people and, above all, a victory for those who fought for our independence," coach Pedro Brito told reporters.

"It's a special moment in this celebration of the 50th anniversary of our independence."

An emotional Vozinha, the 39-year-old goalkeeper, admitted: "I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a child. It's time to celebrate.

"We knew we could do better (in the second half), and that's it – it's time to celebrate."

After dominating the first half of the final round qualifier, but seldom threatening to score, the Blue Sharks struck twice through Dailon Livramento and Willy Semedo in the first nine minutes after half-time before a 15,000 flag-waving crowd in Praia.

Livramento claimed his fourth goal of the 10-round qualifying campaign on 48 minutes and Semedo struck six minutes later. Both goals came from close-range tap-ins.

Cape Verde added a third goal in added time when Stopira, a substitute for Joao Paulo, pounced on a loose ball to score.

Cape Verde rely heavily on players born outside the nation to Cape Verdean parents or grandparents. Livramento was born in Rotterdam and Semedo near Paris.

Eswatini had come to the 10-island archipelago with little attacking ambition, adopting a 5-4-1 formation in front of goalkeeper Khanyakwezwe Shabalala. (AFP)