"VAN" (Sports Desk - 30.06.2026) :: With an unforgettable group stage complete, the newly expanded FIFA World Cup 2026 is already producing exactly the kind of stories it was designed to create.
Cabo Verde and Congo DR have both defied expectations to reach the Round of 32 at the 48-team showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the USA, proving that football's greenest World Cup participants can do far more than simply make up the numbers.
Former Bulgaria star and FIFA Legend Hristo Stoichkov believes Cabo Verde's debut run has been nothing short of remarkable, after the Blue Sharks finished as runners-up in Group H behind Spain, eliminating Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in the process.
"What they've done is phenomenal. They're going to be facing Argentina [next], but so far, it's amazing, a fairy tale," he told the latest episode of the FIFA Podcast, before praising the spirit within coach Bubista's squad.
"Cabo Verde are an organised, disciplined team. I watch their faces: they're very happy – the players, and the coach. This is very important."
For Stoichkov, the success of Cabo Verde and Congo DR is no surprise, but the culmination of years of hard work.
Congo DR's only previous World Cup appearance came in 1974, when the country competed as Zaire and exited after three defeats without scoring. The Leopards secured their place at World Cup 2026 via a Play-Off Tournament victory over Jamaica, before advancing from a group featuring Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan, finishing among the eight best third-placed teams to set up a Round of 32 meeting with England.
"I'm not surprised by Cabo Verde, I'm not surprised by Congo [DR], I'm not surprised by different [teams] in the World Cup because everybody has worked for this one big event," explained the hero of Bulgaria's historic fourth-placed finish at World Cup 1994, where Stoichkov shared the adidas Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer with Russia's Oleg Salenko. "Every four years you prepare for this big party at the World Cup."
Former Uruguay striker Diego Forlan echoed those sentiments, saying Cabo Verde have thrived with the freedom that comes from playing without pressure or expectation.
"They're enjoying it. I think they're enjoying the game. This is their first time, the first time they have qualified, as well, to the next phase. They are playing Argentina. They don't have anything to lose," commented the 2010 World Cup adidas Golden Ball winner, awarded to the tournament's best player.
"Most of the players play in Portugal in the different divisions. They are very experienced players, physically strong. The keeper [Vozinha] is doing really well. They are like the underdogs, which you get at every World Cup."
Defending champions Argentina, led by World Cup record goalscorer Lionel Messi, will be overwhelming favourites when the sides meet at Miami Stadium on 3 July, but Forlan believes knockout football has a habit of rewarding pluck and heart.
"I think it's going to be a very exciting game. Of course, it's going to be very difficult for them," he acknowledged. "Argentina are doing really well. [Lionel] Messi is in great shape, scoring goals, but when you don't have anything to lose and you're playing, you're enjoying it, you have a good team, you can play against anybody. Hopefully they can fight and they can make the game difficult for the opponent."
Whatever happens next, Cabo Verde and Congo DR have already become symbols of what the most inclusive World Cup yet can achieve. They have given emerging nations the chance to make history, delivered the football world fresh underdog stories to celebrate and offered future generations inspiration for what's possible.
Cr-FIFA2026
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