Leontina Ribeiro is as close to the big screen at the World Cup watch party at Backyard in Fort Lauderdale as she can possibly get. Rosary in hand, she waves the sign of the cross over each player as the broadcast shows the Cape Verde national team make its way onto the field at Miami Stadium for their match against Uruguay.
“I ask God to protect our Cape Verde national team — a small country but with a lot of faith and a lot of strength,” she says.
Ribeiro is one of hundreds of Cape Verdeans who came to Fort Lauderdale — some from the sizable diasporas in Boston and Rhode Island, others making a 16-hour journey across the Atlantic — to cheer on the World Cup’s unlikeliest underdog story across multiple events in the city.
With a population of just over half a million spread over ten islands off the east coast of Africa, the nation is the third smallest to ever qualify for a World Cup. But it has gone toe-to-toe with soccer giants and so far come out unbeaten. After a 0-0 draw with tournament favorite Spain in Atlanta and now a 2-2 draw with two-time champion Uruguay in Miami on Sunday, Cape Verde has gone from obscurity to international acclaim.
A crowd of a few hundred met at Esplanade Park in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday for a festival celebrating the island's culture. Stalls showed off Cape Verdean businesses — the most popular was giving away Cape Verde shirts, hats and scarves — while music from the African island nation played.
The next day that same crowd met just around the corner at the Backyard bar for a pre-match party before those with tickets packed buses to head to the stadium. The thirty or so without tickets, including Ribeiro, stayed behind to watch on a big screen, dressed in the blue, red and white of the nation's flag.
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The events were organized by the Timas brothers Moacyr and Nilton, Cape Verdean businessmen who live in Miami.
“ We planned all this before [the draw with Spain], because we believed that we're not gonna be someone that just gonna come here and everybody's gonna just bulldoze all over us. We knew that we had that confidence that we will go and play toe-to-toe with national teams,” said Moacyr.
According to the Cape Verdeans who came to South Florida, the team’s secret is “morabeza.” It's a word from Cape Verdean creole — a language based on the mother tongue of the Portuguese explorers who settled the islands in the 15th century — which refers to the concept of togetherness, generosity and welcoming attitudes that’s the ethos of the nation’s culture.
“And no stress, that’s the most important part,” added Cheick Mbengue, another Miami resident. He was celebrating the occasion with his cousins who flew in from Cape Verde.
“All the players, you see them, not stressed ever," he explained. "That’s why they're able to play against these big teams.”
Goalkeeper Vozinha was awarded man of the match for his heroic performance against Spain, when he shut out the European team's superstars. That display also saw his Instagram following grow from just over 50,000 to 15.4 million. In the same way, the country has grown its international profile.
João DePina, who was born and raised in Cape Verde before moving to Boston 26 years ago, is following the team across the country with his young son.
“ Other people, they think we're from the Caribbean. Sometimes at work people see my food, they'll be like, ‘Oh, you're eating Dominican food.’ I'm like, ‘No! That's Cape Verde food,’” he said. The country's most famous dish is cachupa, a stew made of simmered, dried corn, beans and meat or fish.
“A lot of people think we're Dominicans, a lot of people think we're from Puerto Rico, but no, we're Cape Verdeans.”
DePina said that is going to change after this World Cup.
“ Everybody now knows where Cape Verde is. We don't have to explain where we are from. Ten small islands from the west coast of Africa — now the world knows Cape Verde,” he said.
DePina will now follow the team to Houston, where a positive result against Saudi Arabia on Friday could secure their place in the knockout round. For many, qualifying for a World Cup was the country’s biggest sporting accomplishment, but the team’s performances have allowed them to dream bigger.
“ We came for fun, but now they're giving us a chance to go to the next round. So we'll definitely take it,” said DePina. “A 1% chance is all we need to believe.”
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