Cape Verde Emerges as the World Cup's Unexpected Dark Horse and a Travel Gem

Spain’s shock failure to score against Cape Verde in its 2026 World Cup debut has prompted many readers to look up the country and learn what it offers visitors. Cape Verde, officially Cabo Verde, is an Atlantic archipelago of 10 islands about 500 kilometers west of West Africa, near Senegal. A former Portuguese colony that became independent in 1975, it is described as one of Africa’s most stable democracies and a relatively safe destination, though travelers are warned to stay alert for pickpocketing and theft in urban and tourist areas.

Tourism materials highlight nearly 350 sunny days a year and a mix of Afro-Portuguese culture and highly varied scenery. The most visited islands are the flat, desert-like Sal and Boa Vista. Sal’s Santa Maria has about eight kilometers of white sand, resorts, salt pools inside an extinct volcano crater at Pedra de Lume, and the underwater Buraona cave that glows at certain midday hours. Boa Vista offers a wilder version of the same beach experience, with huge dunes and, in season, supervised turtle-watching tours that must avoid nesting sites.

For hikers and nature lovers, Santo Antao stands out as one of the archipelago’s best walking islands, reached only by ferry. Its dramatic landscape includes the green Paul Valley, with sugarcane terraces, mango trees and bananas, plus trails carved into rock over centuries. Fogo offers another dramatic experience, centered on Pico do Fogo, the country’s highest point at 2,829 meters, an active volcano where guided tours can descend through volcanic ash and end with a wine tasting in villages inside the crater area.

Cape Verde’s cultural center is Sao Vicente, especially Mindelo, widely seen as the cultural capital. The city, with pastel colonial buildings and cafes, is the birthplace of singer Cesaria Evora and a stronghold of morna music, especially around its carnival, usually held in February. The local cuisine blends Africa and Portugal, led by cachupa, a slow-cooked stew of white corn, beans, vegetables and often meat or fish, alongside seafood. The country also preserves major historical sites on Santiago, including Cidade Velha, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the first European colonial settlement in the tropics, once a slave-trading hub, and Tarrafal, a memorial and museum tied to Portuguese dictatorship and anti-colonial struggle.