‘Everyone is talking about Cape Verde’: World Cup run delights diaspora community in UK

Cape Verde diaspora members Lauryn, 13, and brother Joylen, 10. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Cape Verde diaspora members Lauryn, 13, and brother Joylen, 10. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian ‘Everyone is talking about Cape Verde’: World Cup run delights diaspora community in UK Cape Verdeans in Britain feeling ‘incredibly proud’ after team’s hard-fought draws against Spain and Uruguay World Cup live – latest updates For as long as she can remember, 13-year-old Lauryn struggled to find a map that included Cape Verde . Now, to her great delight, the tiny African island nation is finally centre stage. “Seeing our country shown across the world at the World Cup makes me feel incredibly proud,” Lauryn says. “After the first match, everyone was talking about Cape Verde. People saw the talent and the skill of our players.” Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde as the diaspora community in the UK knows it, are having a historic run at their first ever World Cup. The African nation, made up of 10 islands, has defied expectations by holding its own against the tournament’s leading teams . Located in the Atlantic Ocean about 370 miles (600km) off the coast of mainland Africa , and with a population of just over 500,000, it is one of the smallest nations to compete at the tournament. Lauryn, who has already published her first book, Unsung, says she scrolled through social media before Cape Verde’s opening match against Spain. “There were lots of posts on social media saying Cape Verde only had a 1% chance of winning. But after everyone saw our goalkeeper’s performance, everything changed.” View image in fullscreen Goalkeeper Vozinha celebrates after Cape Verde’s draw with Uruguay. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock That 1% prediction has since become a rallying cry for the Cape Verdean diaspora in Britain, which is estimated to number in the low thousands. “Our slogan in the Cape Verdean community became: ‘They gave us 1% chance, but we had 99% faith,’” Lauryn says. The team held a stunned Spain to a 0-0 draw. Their next match, against Uruguay, felt like a “constant heart attack”, says Annabella Lopes of the Cape Verdean Association UK. The game ended in 2-2 . Where is Cape Verde? Meet the tiny African island nation upsetting World Cup giants Read more Now, the team, quickly becoming fans’ favourite underdogs, face Saudi Arabia in their final group stage match, which kicks off at 9pm ET on Friday in Houston, Texas – or 1am Saturday for Lauryn and others watching in the UK. A win will secure them a historic spot in the knockouts, while a draw will give them a fighting chance to qualify as one of the eight best third-placed teams. Lauryn’s younger brother, 10-year-old Joylen, who plays football for Chelsea’s academy, says watching the tournament has strengthened his belief in the team. “I think we can definitely go very far. I knew people shouldn’t underestimate us because if we can draw against Spain and Uruguay, imagine what w