Cabo Verde’s World Cup run ended in extra time, but its tourism cap may be starting.
Since the African an island nation (commonly known as Cape Verde in English) made its own World Cup for the first timehis national team, nicknamed the Blue Sharks after the Atlantic waters surrounding the country, became the smallest nation by population to reach the knockout stage – and picked up an international following along the way.
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The team progressed without a win, holding Spain scoreless and coming from behind twice against Uruguay. In the 32nd round, Cabo Verde pushed defending champion Argentina into overtime before losing 3-2.
As the activity progressed, US Google searched for “Cabo Verde vacation” he jumped by more than 5,000 percent compared to the previous year. Expedia recorded a similar increase, with searches from US consumers increasing by more than 800 percent. The interest extended beyond the US: European travel operator TUI reported that searches for the destination have doubled since June 2025, with searches from Japan increasing by 110 percent.
For a country of approx 525,000 peoplethe match put Cabo Verde in front of an audience larger than its population and made many viewers ask two basic questions: Where exactly is it, and should I go on vacation?
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Get to know Cabo Verde
Cabo Verde is an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. Nine of the islands are inhabited, and each one has its own distinct character – from the beach resorts of Sal and Boa Vista to the mountains of Santo Antão and the spectacular volcanic landscape of Fogo.
Previously uninhabited, Cabo Verde was first settled by the Portuguese in the 15th century (Portuguese is still spoken there). In past centuries, Portugal used the islands as a the basis of its shipping routes and the international slave tradeaccording to the Cape Verde Museum. The nation gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
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The country was already a major holiday destination before soccer fans started Googling. Only in 2025, its hotels were welcomed nearby 1.25 million visitors. In the first quarter of 2026, the country was up to 16.8 percent in visitor arrivals from the same period in 2025. Tourism accounts for about a quarter of the country’s economy, which had a GDP of about $3.1 billion in 2025.
US travelers remain the smallest segment of the industry. The United States contributed only 1.1 percent of foreign hotel guests in the country in 2025, which makes the current increase in searches noticeable even if only a small portion of those searches will turn into booked trips.
This type of tourism promotion is exactly what countries expect when they spend a lot of money to organize or participate in international sporting events. Qatar invested estimated 220 billion dollars in stadiums, transport, hotels and other infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup, aiming to establish itself as an international attraction. The strategy worked, at least partially – the country welcomed 4 million visitors in 2023 and aims for more than 6 million annually by 2030.
Cabo Verde, by contrast, created the same buzz in just four games with a few rising stars, such as goalkeeper Josimar José Évora Dias, better known as. SoundWHO he got about 20 million followers during the competition.
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Cabo Verde was not the only country to gain visibility from the World Cup. The Norwegian race turned Erling Haaland at one of the competitions fan favoriteswith Google searches for his name increasing by 900 percent worldwide and more than 5,000 percent Canada.
The alert brought new fans to the Norwegian team, its famous “Viking Row” celebration, and the country behind one of soccer’s biggest stars.
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Host cities also benefited: during the first two weeks of the tournament, hotel rooms in the Boston area and tourism-related expenses. it jumped 20 percent from the previous year, while occupancy remained at 87 percent.
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For Cabo Verde, the question is whether that increased attention can spread beyond online searches and into its economy. By now, though, millions more people know the nation’s name and have seen enough of its beaches, mountains and soccer attractions to consider opening another browser tab.
