Three weeks ago, Cabo Verde was a mysterious tiny island that was unfamiliar to many people around the world. Now, after a historic run from its men’s national soccer team in the FIFA World Cup, Cabo Verde has become the talk of the planet.

Cabo Verde’s culture shines on the world stage

As Cabo Verde shocked the world with mesmerizing performances in the World Cup, the country’s people and culture shone brightly in front of the entire world. Many Cabo Verdeans who expressed their pride in interviews and social media posts said the world is seeing them clearly for the first time and they no longer have to explain where their country is located.

Some of those Cabo Verdeans expressed their sentiments at a watch party in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as their nation faced Argentina in the round of 32.

“I love the heart of the team,” New Bedford resident Amelia Moore told the New Bedford Light. “Cape Verdeans, we’re warriors, and they showed it.”

Moore and many of the other Cabo Verdeans showed up to the watch party in blue shirts and jerseys, waving their country’s flag and enjoying their traditional food, including cachupa with linguiça, rice and beans.

“The fact that we’re such a small nation to be on this big stage is absolutely amazing,” Cape Verdean Edward Figueiredo Esteves said in New Bedford. “We’ve always been a proud people, proud of who we are and what we’ve accomplished, but no one knows who we are.”

How did Cabo Verde perform in the FIFA World Cup?

Cabo Verde came into the World Cup as the third-smallest country to qualify for the tournament, according to ESPN. Still, this African nation of 530,000 people proved its worth against some of the biggest names in the World Cup. The epic journey kicked off with an astonishing 0-0 draw against Spain, one of the favorites to win the tournament. That historic draw was highlighted by the performance of 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who put together a mesmerizing show to help his country earn the unforgettable result.

Cabo Verde continued to shock the world when it scored its first-ever World Cup goal in its next game and came away with a 2-2 draw against Uruguay.

In the knockout stages, Cabo Verde faced a seemingly improbable task against the defending champions, Argentina, led by the legendary Lionel Messi. Still, Cabo Verde went toe-to-toe with the South American giants and only came up short at the very end, losing 3-2 in extra time.