Cabo Verde wows at World Cup – with an economic assist from China

As Cabo Verde lined up against Argentina in the biggest match in the tiny island nation’s football history, China has played a hard-to-miss role in important chapters of its journey to the Fifa World Cup 2026 – from its players’ boots to the first standardised sports stadium. Cabo Verde’s World Cup debut ended in a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Argentina in Miami, but the tiny African nation won global admiration after twice coming from behind, with goalkeeper Josimar José Évora Dias, commonly known.