Cape Verde's women's football team made their debut at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations this week, arriving at a tournament they fought through floodlight failures and a 4–3 aggregate win over Mali to reach.

WAFCON — the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, Africa's flagship women's international competition — kicked off on 26 July 2026 in Rabat, Morocco, running through to 16 August. The tournament expanded from 12 to 16 teams for this edition, opening the door for first-time qualifiers including Cape Verde and Malawi (Reuters). Cape Verde's place was secured the hard way. After a 1–0 first-leg defeat in Praia, they won the second leg in Bamako 4–2 — a match delayed by a floodlight failure in the second half — to overturn the deficit on aggregate (BBC Sport).

Sandra Martins, named in the Cape Verde squad for the tournament, earned her first international cap in that first leg in Praia. She travelled to Bamako for the return fixture but missed the match through illness — watching from the sidelines as her teammates made history without her on the pitch. At full-time, the atmosphere was something she will not forget. "Amazing," she called it. Everyone was "euphoric," screaming about how happy they were. She described a "true sisterhood" within the squad (BBC Sport).

When the team returned home, locals turned out at Praia's airport to celebrate. The islands have been catching football fever. Martins pointed to the men's national team's run to the last 32 at their first FIFA World Cup — where they lost 3–2 to Argentina after extra time — as a moment that gave the women's team momentum of its own. The popularity of women's football in Cape Verde has grown, she said, and she hopes this WAFCON debut will push it further (BBC Sport).

Morocco is hosting the tournament for a third consecutive edition. Holders Nigeria, who won the last WAFCON, were drawn in the same group as Egypt. The opening days have already delivered results: Morocco beat Kenya 4–0, Algeria saw off Senegal 2–0, Tanzania defeated South Africa 2–1, and Côte d'Ivoire overwhelmed Burkina Faso 4–1. South Africa's Motlhalo earned her 100th international cap during the tournament, joining an exclusive century club.

For Cape Verde, the next test comes quickly. They face Ghana on 29 July. Mali, the team they beat to get here, play Cameroon the same day.

What gives this story its pull is the scale of the journey. Cape Verde is a nation of roughly half a million people spread across ten volcanic islands off the west coast of Africa. The women's team only entered the FIFA world ranking for the first time in March 2023, a moment the Cape Verdean Football Federation called "historic." Three years on, they are sharing a tournament with the superpowers of African women's football — and Sandra Martins, illness permitting, will be part of it.