Cape Verde missed the chance to seal their first-ever World Cup qualification after they were controversially denied a late winner against Libya.
Needing a win to guarantee their spot in the 2026 finals, the Blue Sharks thought they had completed a stunning 4–3 comeback in injury time, only for their winner to be chalked off for offside.
Why were Cape Verde denied a win?
Having trailed 3-1 with just 14 minutes left on the clock, the West African nation rallied with goals from Sidny Cabral and Willy Semedo to pull level.
And their turnaround looked to be complete when they raced away in a four-on-one counter attack in the 96th minute.
But just before the ball was slotted into the net, the referee blew his whistle for offside.
This proved a hugely controversial decision, with replays appearing to show the goalscorer to be marginally onside.
The call drew a furious reaction from the Cape Verde bench, who could be seen immediately erupting into protest on the sidelines.
However, with no VAR system in use for African qualifiers, the decision stood, meaning the visitors were forced to settle for a point.
How did fans react?
It’s fair to say fans were just as unhappy with the decision as the players on pitch, with many taking to social media to vent their frustrations.
Sharing a picture of the goalscorer in a seemingly onside position, one user wrote: “Robbed.”
Another stunned fan said: “He was a mile onside!”
A third commented: “That’s criminal…hopefully they qualify in a few days.”
Cape Verde’s fourth goal was disallowed despite the goalscorer appearing onside when the ball was played The Blue Sharks bench were furious with the decision, and immediately rushed towards the linesman who made the callMeanwhile a fourth argued: “THIS is why we need VAR as a standard everywhere on international level.”
It’s fair to say this qualifying clash served up plenty of drama throughout.
Libya took the lead inside the first minute when Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes put the ball into his own net, before Telmo Arcanjo equalised for Cape Verde on 29 minutes.
The hosts restored their advantage through Ezoo El Mariamy, before doubling it through a Mahmoud Al Shilw free-kick.
But Cape Verde fought back, with Cabral pulling one back in the 76th-minute and Semedo levelling six minutes later, before controversy struck in stoppage time.
The result leaves them top of Group D in CAF World Cup Qualifying, with 20 points from nine games, with Cameroon second on 18 points
AFPCape Verde captain Ryan Mendes will be hoping to rally his troops to qualification at the second time of asking against Eswatini on Monday[/caption]Can Cape Verde still qualify for the World Cup?
Despite their devastating setback, the islanders can still qualify for their first World Cup with a win against Eswatini on Monday.
The group winners are guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup, while the second-placed side could reach the African play-offs and have a chance to progress to a final intercontinental qualifier.
With a population of around 600,000, Cape Verde would become second-smallest nation to appear at the tournament if they secure qualifaction.
Iceland, with a population of roughly 350,000, remains the smallest country to qualify for the World Cup finals, doing so in 2018.
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