By the end of that day, they were searching for flights.
That is what happens when a 40-year-old goalkeeper from a volcanic Atlantic archipelago of half a million people walks onto the pitch against the second-ranked team in the world, makes seven saves, keeps a clean sheet, breaks down in tears at the final whistle, and tells reporters he cried because his grandparents raised him and did not live to see this moment. And because his mother could not afford the visa to be there.
His name is Vozinha. His country is Cabo Verde. And what happened next turned one of the world's most beautiful and unknown travel destinations into the story everyone is talking about.
If you have been following along, I recently wrote about four other countries the World Cup inspired me to talk about: Scotland, Norway, Japan, and Argentina. You can read that one right here. But today I want to talk about the team that captured everyone's heart in a way nobody saw coming.
On June 15th, Cabo Verde walked onto the pitch in Atlanta against Spain, the second-ranked team in the world, as the 67th-ranked nation in FIFA's world rankings. Nobody gave them a chance.
What followed was one of the most remarkable performances in World Cup history.
Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar Dias, made seven saves and kept a clean sheet as Cabo Verde held Spain to a 0-0 draw. Spain had the ball, the talent, and the entire statistical model pointing toward a comfortable victory. Vozinha simply refused to let it happen. He was named Player of the Match and, at 40 years old, became the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup debut.
After the final whistle he broke down in tears. He told reporters he cried because his grandparents raised him and did not live to see this. Because his mother could not afford the visa in time to be there.
The world stopped scrolling and watched.
The story did not end in Atlanta. Cabo Verde drew with Uruguay 2-2 in a match where they scored their first ever World Cup goal. Then another clean sheet against Saudi Arabia. They advanced out of the group stage as one of the tournament's great surprises, the only World Cup debutant to make it through.
In the Round of 32 they faced Argentina, the defending champions, with Messi at his brilliant best. Cabo Verde lost 3-2 in extra time after forcing the reigning champions to the brink. They scored a goal in that match that people will show replays of for years. They never lost a single 90-minute match in the entire tournament.
Vozinha finished with 18 saves across the tournament. His Instagram following went from 500,000 to over 17 million almost overnight.
But here is the thing about Cabo Verde that the football story opened a door to: the destination itself has been extraordinary all along. The world just was not paying attention.
Cabo Verde is a volcanic archipelago of ten islands sitting in the Atlantic Ocean about 570 kilometers off the west coast of Africa. It was uninhabited when Portuguese explorers arrived in the 15th century. Today it is one of Africa's most stable democracies and one of the world's most genuinely underrated travel destinations.
Each island has its own distinct character. Together they offer more variety than most countries ten times their size.
Sal is where most visitors land first, and for good reason. The beaches along the southern coast, particularly Santa Maria, have soft white sand and water so turquoise it photographs almost unrealistically. This is also one of the world's premier kite surfing destinations, particularly between October and May when the trade winds blow consistently and powerfully across the flat, shallow water.
Boa Vista is quieter and wilder. Long stretches of golden beach backed by desert dunes that roll inland like a Saharan landscape dropped into the Atlantic. Loggerhead sea turtles nest on these beaches between June and October, and the island has some of the most dramatic empty coastline anywhere in the archipelago.
São Vicente and Mindelo are the cultural capital of Cabo Verde. Mindelo is a port city with a particular creative and musical energy that feels unlike anywhere else in West Africa. The streets are colorful, the harbor is beautiful, and the music comes out of every bar and restaurant after dark. Vozinha was born here. Cesária Évora, the Cape Verdean singer who introduced morna to the world, was born here too. That is not a coincidence. This island produces something.
Fogo Island is for the genuinely adventurous. An active stratovolcano rises nearly 2,900 meters from the ocean floor and dominates the entire island. You can hike to the summit crater, which last erupted in 2014 and left a landscape of black lava that still feels new. In the caldera, a small community of farmers grows grapes in volcanic soil and produces a wine called Calderas that has been made since the late 19th century when a French count brought the first vines. You can stay inside the crater overnight and watch the stars from one of the most extraordinary landscapes on earth.
Santo Antão is where hikers go and never want to leave. The island is spectacularly green, carved by deep valleys called ribeiras that run from the volcanic peaks down to the sea. Terraced farms line the valley walls. Traditional villages sit at the ends of trails that take you through cloud forest, past waterfalls, and along cliff paths with views that stretch out over the Atlantic for as far as you can see.
Cabo Verde has a musical tradition that is completely its own. Morna is the national music style, a melancholic, poetic genre with roots in the experience of a seafaring people separated from home and from each other. It sounds like longing given a melody. Cesária Évora, who died in 2011, introduced it to the world through recordings that sold millions of copies across Europe and the Americas. She performed barefoot as a statement of solidarity with poor Cape Verdeans. Listening to her music on a terrace in Mindelo as the sun sets over the harbor is one of those travel experiences that genuinely stays with you.
Funaná is the other side of the coin: fast, joyful accordion music rooted in the African heritage of the islands, the kind that makes it genuinely difficult to sit still. The contrast between morna and funaná tells you most of what you need to know about the Cape Verdean character, capable of deep feeling and complete joy, sometimes in the same evening.
There is a word in Cape Verdean Creole, morabeza, that describes the particular warmth and generosity that Cape Verdeans extend to strangers. It is not a concept invented for tourism marketing. It is a genuine cultural quality that travelers consistently describe as one of the most memorable things about visiting. You feel it in how people greet you, in how conversations start, in how a restaurant owner explains what is on the menu as though they are feeding a friend.
The food reflects the islands' history: Portuguese technique, African ingredients, Atlantic seafood, and the resourcefulness of a people who made extraordinary things from limited means. Cachupa, the national dish, is a slow-cooked stew of hominy corn, beans, vegetables, and meat that tastes different in every household and on every island. Fresh tuna, grouper, and lobster appear on almost every menu. The local grogue, a sugar cane spirit produced on Santo Antão, is rough and remarkable and worth trying once you have your sea legs.
In May 2026, Cabo Verde Airlines resumed direct service from Providence, Rhode Island to Cabo Verde with a stop in Sal. This is the first direct flight from the US to the islands since 2021 and a significant development for American travelers. The route operates twice weekly and seats are limited, so book early if you are on the East Coast.
For everyone else, the standard routing connects through Lisbon with TAP Air Portugal, through the Azores with Azores Airlines, or through Amsterdam with KLM. From Boston, the total journey to Praia or Sal runs approximately 14 to 16 hours with a connection. From New York, similar. From Chicago, plan for 16 to 18 hours depending on your connection.
Round-trip fares from the US East Coast have generally run between $700 and $1,200 depending on routing and time of year. November through January tends to be the cheapest period to fly, which also happens to be one of the most pleasant times to be on the islands: dry, warm, and with the trade winds in full effect for water sports.
US citizens do not need a visa for stays up to 30 days. You do need to complete Cabo Verde's EASE digital arrival card online at least five days before you travel. It takes about ten minutes and is straightforward.
For a first visit, I recommend anchoring in two or three islands rather than trying to see all ten. Here is a framework that works well for most travelers:
Days 1 to 3: Sal Arrive into Amílcar Cabral International Airport and head straight to Santa Maria Beach. Stay at the Meliá Llana Beach Resort & Spa, an adults-only all-inclusive on the southern coast of Sal. It is a comfortable, well-located base that lets you decompress after the long journey without having to think about logistics. Spend the first days on the water, try kite surfing or kiteboarding lessons if conditions are right, and eat fresh grilled tuna on the waterfront in the evening.
Days 4 to 6: São Vicente and Mindelo Fly the short inter-island hop to São Vicente and check into Ouril Hotel Mindelo, a well-positioned property in the heart of the city. Walk the streets where Vozinha was born and Cesária Évora sang. Visit the waterfront market, find a bar with live morna music after dark, and take the ferry across to Santo Antão for a full day hike through the ribeiras. The valley trails on Santo Antão are among the most beautiful walks in the entire Atlantic.
Days 7 to 9: Fogo Fly to Fogo and stay at La Fora Ecolodge in São Filipe for a more rustic and immersive experience. This is not a resort. It is a small, locally rooted lodge that puts you close to the community and the landscape rather than insulating you from it. From here, hike to the volcano summit if your fitness allows, visit the caldera village and its vineyards, and taste the local Calderas wine produced in volcanic soil. Sleep under extraordinary skies and wake up with the mountain above you.
Day 10: Depart Fly back to Sal for your international connection home.
Cabo Verde did not become extraordinary because of the World Cup. It has been extraordinary for a long time.
But Vozinha, standing in goal against Spain with tears streaming down his face and 17 million people suddenly following him on Instagram, opened a door that was always there. To an archipelago with volcanic peaks, white sand beaches, world-class kite surfing, ancient music traditions, extraordinary local food, and a warmth that is embedded in the culture at a level so deep it has its own word.
If the World Cup made you curious, trust that instinct.
Cabo Verde is the kind of destination that makes you feel like you found something real. Because you did.
Reach out whenever you are ready to start planning. I would love to help you build the right itinerary for these islands.
- Cabo Verde is a 10-island Atlantic archipelago off the west coast of Africa, each island distinct, combining African soul, Portuguese heritage, and Caribbean climate into something entirely its own
- Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper whose World Cup run captured the world's heart, was born in Mindelo on São Vicente, the cultural capital of the archipelago and one of the most rewarding islands to visit
- Direct flights from Providence, Rhode Island to Cabo Verde resumed in May 2026 for the first time since 2021, with connections through Lisbon or Amsterdam available from most US cities
- The best time to visit for beaches and water sports is November through April, when the dry season brings warm temperatures, clear skies, and the trade winds that make Sal and Boa Vista world-class kite surfing destinations
- Morabeza, the Cape Verdean concept of warmth and generosity toward strangers, is not a marketing slogan but a genuinely felt quality that travelers consistently describe as one of the most memorable things about visiting
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I'm Amneris, though everyone just calls me Neri. I'm a Pro Fora travel advisor and flight attendant based in Chicago with a deep love for culturally rich, food-forward travel across Europe and Latin America. I work with busy professionals and adventure seekers who want their trips to feel intentional, effortless, and genuinely memorable. From romantic escapes and solo adventures to luxury cruises and group journeys, I handle the details so you can focus on the experience.
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