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Cape Verde Makes History, Clinches First-Ever World Cup Spot with 3–0 Win Over Eswatini
Cape Verde has written a new chapter in its football history after qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time. The Blue Sharks sealed their spot with an emphatic 3–0 victory over Eswatini on Monday at the Estádio Nacional in Praia.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The win pushed Cape Verde to the top of Group D with 23 points, ahead of traditional African powerhouse Cameroon, who were held to a 1–1 draw by Angola.
Dailon Livramento opened the scoring early in the first half, setting the tone for a dominant display by the island nation. Willy Semedo doubled the lead with a clinical finish before veteran defender Stopira added a third, sending fans in Praia into celebration.
For Cape Verde, a country of just under 600,000 people, the qualification marks a monumental achievement. The team now becomes the second-smallest nation ever to reach a FIFA World Cup, following Iceland’s fairytale run in 2018.
“This is a dream come true for our people,” said head coach Pedro Brito “Bubista.” “We worked for years to build this moment, and the players gave everything for the flag.”
The success did not come overnight. Over the past decade, Cape Verde has quietly built one of Africa’s most disciplined and tactically organized teams. The national football federation invested in grassroots development, improved domestic coaching standards, and strengthened connections with diaspora players based in Portugal, France, and the Netherlands.
Those efforts paid off — the team has climbed from 180th place in the FIFA rankings in 2010 to 70th today.
Football analysts say Cape Verde’s rise is also a reflection of the expanded World Cup format, which increased Africa’s qualification slots from five to nine. The new structure has opened the door for emerging teams to make history.
“Cape Verde’s story shows how smaller nations can dream big when there’s planning and belief,” said sports journalist Antonio Lima, based in Praia. “This victory is more than football; it’s a symbol of national pride.”
Celebrations erupted across the archipelago Monday night, with fans flooding the streets waving national flags, singing, and dancing to local rhythms. The government announced that players and officials would be honored in a national ceremony later this week.
President José Maria Neves congratulated the team on social media, calling the qualification “a triumph of unity, resilience, and talent.”
As the 2026 World Cup approaches — to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — Cape Verde now looks forward to its first appearance on football’s biggest stage.
Coach Bubista said the team would continue to prepare with humility and determination. “We know the challenge ahead,” he said. “But we’re not just going there to participate — we’re going to compete.”
For the people of Cape Verde, the Blue Sharks’ historic achievement will be remembered as a moment when a small island nation proved that dreams can indeed cross oceans.
The State Wing Executive Council of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has ordered all public primary and secondary school teachers in Abuja to commence an indefinite strike from Monday.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The union also directed parents and guardians to keep their children at home until further notice, citing unresolved welfare concerns and what it described as government inaction.
This followed a communiqué issued after an emergency SWEC meeting held in Gwagwalada, Abuja, over the weekend and signed by the state leadership of the union.
Teachers were instructed to fully comply with the strike directive and await further instructions from the union leadership, as the industrial action remains in force until their demands are addressed.
According to the communiqué, the strike became necessary after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum earlier issued to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, which elapsed without a satisfactory response.
The union recalled that although previous interventions led to the suspension of an earlier strike, several key issues affecting teachers’ welfare were still unresolved.
It also expressed concern that a committee set up to address outstanding entitlements submitted its report in August 2025, but the findings have not been made public or implemented.
While acknowledging the payment of the new minimum wage and some salary arrears, the union insisted that major concerns remain unattended.
The NUT further demanded reforms in promotion processes and a review of the 2024 promotion exercise.
After what it described as unsuccessful engagements and expired deadlines, the union declared that all teachers in the FCT will remain on strike indefinitely until their demands are met.
Nigerian actor and filmmaker Emmanuel Ikubese has spoken about the breakdown of his marriage to celebrity makeup artist Anita Adetoye.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The couple tied the knot in March 2020 in a widely publicised wedding that attracted attention nationwide. However, by February 2021, speculation about a split began after Ikubese deleted their wedding photos from Instagram and both parties unfollowed each other on social media.
Speaking on the Archives of Becoming Podcast, Ikubese described the end of the marriage as a painful personal setback. He said it made him deeply question himself, especially as someone who had always hoped for a stable family life.
According to him, achieving marriage had felt like a major life goal, and its collapse left him feeling as though he had failed. He added that the public nature of their wedding made the experience even more difficult, leaving him exposed and emotionally shaken.
He explained that the experience pushed him into deep reflection about his identity and life direction, describing it as a turning point that forced him to re-evaluate himself. He also noted that he could only speak from his own experience and not on behalf of his ex-wife.
Ikubese further revealed that the breakup brought him significant emotional pain and altered how he viewed life, eventually drawing him closer to his faith as he searched for answers.
“It was an identity thing. If you don’t find your identity, you always find yourself in moments like this… God needed a reset, and that was the reset for me,” he said.
“I had always desired a family… The wedding I had was very high-profile… and I just felt like I’d failed.
“It changed my life… it felt like I had to go back to God and ask, ‘Where did I miss this?’
“I was always a lost Emmanuel… fame just felt good… I didn’t even understand why I was in the industry… 2020 was just a crash.”
Former Kogi West senator, Dino Melaye, has explained why he left the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying his experience in the party became unbearable and forced him to move on.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
He made this known during an interview on the Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Akinbaloye, where he reflected on his time in the ruling party and his decision to exit.
Melaye said the political environment he found himself in at the time no longer aligned with his values, adding that he had to step away to reassess his direction in politics.
He compared the decision to a major personal turning point, stressing that it was not made hastily but after deep reflection on his future.
According to him, leaving the party was necessary for his personal and political survival as the situation had become difficult to manage.
He said the experience marked a significant change in his political journey, prompting him to seek a new path that better suited his beliefs and ambitions.
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