I participated in Model United Nations during high school — I was then lotteried to represent Antigua and Barbuda. For a 100% geography idiot, I am proud to say that I happen to know this country well — climate, economy, geography etc.
Now the world seems to be doing the same thing with Cape Verde, according to Google Trend — the time line
- June 15 vs. Spain (0–0 Draw): Cape Verde kicked off their tournament by completely shocking heavyweights Spain, holding them to a scoreless draw. This was likely the first major spike where people collectively googled, “Where is Cape Verde?”
- June 21 vs. Uruguay (2–2 Draw): Proving the first game wasn’t a fluke, they went toe-to-toe with Uruguay in an absolute thriller.
- June 26 vs. Saudi Arabia (0–0 Draw): Tonight, they capped off their group stage with a gritty draw against Saudi Arabia in Houston.
Soccer fans around the world realized this tiny team went undefeated against top-tier global talent, query (Google Trends) related to Cape Verde is skyrocketing right now.
Cape Verde have successfully advanced to the Round of 32 and are scheduled against Argentina on July 3.