In Cape Verde, a small West African island nation, the dream of qualifying for the World Cup is igniting aspirations both on and off the field, transforming lives.

In Cape Verde, a small island nation off West Africa, World Cup qualification is transforming dreams on and off the pitch. <img alt="Praia, Cape Verde (April 9, 2026) — Pedro Bettencourt, president of the country" src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5077x3385+0+0/resize/5077x3385!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2F3d%2F5845dbfa460aaa98b9629800805c%2F04-2026-npr-football-edits-14.jpg" /><p>In Cape Verde, a small island nation off West Africa, W...