Cape Verde ‘Blue Sharks’ come to Atlanta as ultimate World Cup underdogs

The passion of the World Cup is intoxicating. The pressure is palpable. My favorite thing is seeing the more obscure soccer countries earn their moment of glory against the game’s giants.

That’s why I’ll be rooting for this year’s ultimate underdogs, the Cape Verde Tubarões Azuis (Blue Sharks).

The western Africa country is making its first World Cup appearance 50 years after gaining independence from Portugal. The Blue Sharks are set to play top-seeded Spain on Monday at Atlanta Stadium (the temporarily renamed Mercedes-Benz Stadium).

The match result could be lopsided against Cape Verde, but that would hardly be the point. The Blue Sharks beat long odds just to make it to the World Cup. The tiny nation will be on center stage at the most-watched sporting event in the world.

“It’s a huge deal for us,” said Jennifer Barbosa, a first-generation Cape Verdean-American who lives in metro Atlanta. “It’s a huge opportunity for us to bring visibility to our country and our culture. Cape Verdeans are a very prideful group of people who love to share about our country, our food, our culture, our music.”

Officially named the Republic of Cabo Verde, Cape Verde is a group of 10 islands off the west coast of Africa. Cape Verde’s population of roughly 500,000 is about 40,000 less than that of Atlanta.

Barbosa estimates there are 2,000 people of Cape Verdean descent in metro Atlanta. Some of them gather every July to celebrate the country’s independence day. That won’t happen this year, because World Cup events take precedence.

Barbosa, the founder and CEO of International Supply Co., is part of the Atlanta welcoming committee for Cape Verde. She said thousands of Cape Verdeans are expected to travel to Monday’s game from New England, where there is a large diaspora population (Barbosa was born in Rhode Island). The team’s other two scheduled matches are in Miami and Houston.

The events planned for this weekend at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs include a business and investment exchange, and a friends and family festival. Barbosa said the goal is to celebrate Cape Verdean culture and provide opportunities for local businesses to make investments in the country. The International Organization for Migration said Cape Verde recently graduated from lower- to middle-income status.

Cape Verde President José Maria Neves is scheduled to hold a meet-and-greet session at one of Sunday’s events.

“He’s really big on connecting with the Cape Verdean community wherever he is,” Barbosa said.

The Blue Sharks may be newcomers to the World Cup, but they’ve been building up to a bid ever since Pedro Brito took over as coach in 2020. Briton, known as Bubista, is a former captain of the national team.

Cape Verde was knocked out of contention for the 2022 World Cup in the final game of the group stage with a draw against Nigeria in Lagos. The Blue Sharks qualified for this year’s World Cup by finishing at the top of their group in the Confederation of African Football.

Along the way, Cape Verde beat Cameroon, which has appeared in an African record eight World Cups but failed to qualify for this one. The Blue Sharks clinched their World Cup spot with a victory over Eswatini in October.

“It was just like everybody won the lottery,” Barbosa said. “To make it there when we were underestimated for so long and so often — it’s funny because a lot of the other teams do recruit our players — so to have our own team, our own players of Cape Verdean descent make it with the guidance of the coach, it’s so special for us.”

It’s a great accomplishment for Cape Verde to make it to the World Cup. The Blue Sharks will immediately face a tough test against the Spaniards.

Spain has qualified for 13 consecutive World Cups and won the 2010 tournament in South Africa. Spain’s roster is full of players who belong to some of Europe’s top clubs. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, a midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, is already considered one of the world’s best players.