स्पोर्ट्स

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM SEATTLE MARINERS AT TORONTO BLUE JAYS IN AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (ALCS) GAME TWO SHOWS: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (MLB – See script for restrictions) TORONTO BLUE JAYS 3-10 SEATTLE MARINERS TOP FIRST 1. JULIO RODRIGUEZ HAMMERS A THREE-RUN HOMER TO LEFT FIELD, SCORING RANDY AROZARENA AND CAL RALEIGH FOR THE MARINERS TO LEAD 0-3.  2. (SLOW MOTION) VARIOUS REPLAYS OF RODRIGUEZ’S HOME RUN 3. VARIOUS OF RODRIGUEZ CELEBRATING WITH TEAMMATES  BOTTOM FIRST 4. GEORGE SPRINGER SCORES AFTER JOSH NAYLOR MAKES A THROWING ERROR ON A GROUND BALL FROM NATHAN LUKES. 1-3. 5. (SLOW MOTION) VARIOUS REPLAYS OF NAYLOR ERROR 6. ALEJANDRO KIRK LACES A SINGLE TO RIGHT-CENTER THAT DRIVES IN LUKES AND CUTS THE DEFICIT TO 2-3. 7. (SLOW-MOTION) REPLAY OF KIRK HIT  8. CROWD 9. KIRK BOTTOM SECOND 10. LUKES HITS AN RBI SINGLE TO RIGHT-CENTER FIELD, SCORING ERNIE CLEMENT AND TYING THE GAME.  11.(SLOW-MOTION) REPLAY OF LUKES HIT 12. (SLOW-MOTION) REPLAY OF CLEMENT SCORING  13 (SLOW-MOTION) REPLAY OF SPRINGER CELEBRATING TOP THIRD 14. DAULTON VARSHO TRACKS A LINE DRIVE FROM EUGENIO SUAREZ AND DIVES TO MAKE A RUN-SAVING CATCH 15. (SLOW-MOTION) VARIOUS REPLAYS OF VARSHO CATCH TOP FIFTH 16 JORGE POLANCO DRILLS A THREE-RUN HOMER TO RIGHT-CENTER FIELD, SCORING AROZARENA AND RALEIGH TO GIVE MARINERS A 3-6 LEAD.  17. (SLOW-MOTION) VARIOUS REPLAYS OF POLANCO HOME RUN 18. (SLOW-MOTION) REPLAY OF POLANCO REACHING HOME BASE 19. POLANCO CELEBRATING WITH TRIDENT TOP SIXTH 20. J.P. CRAWFORD BLOOPS AN RBI SINGLE INTO SHALLOW LEFT FIELD, SCORING LEO RIVAS TO GIVE MARINERS A 3-7 LEAD.  TOP SEVENTH 21. NAYLOR HITS A TWO RUN HOMER, POLANCO SCORES. MARINERS LEAD 3-9 22. (SLOW MOTION) REPLAY OF NAYLOR HOME RUN 23. (SLOW MOTION) REPLAY OF NAYLOR MAKING IT HOME 24. NAYLOR CELEBRATING WITH TRIDENT 25. CRAWFORD HITS A SACRIFICE FLY TO CENTER FIELD SCORING SUAREZ AND GIVING MARINERS A 3-10 LEAD. BOTTOM NINTH 26. EMERSON HANCOCK GETS SPRINGER TO GROUND INTO A 5-4-3 DOUBLE PLAY WRAPPING UP A 3-10 WIN FOR THE MARINERS. DAVIS SCHNEIDER OUT AT SECOND BASE AS SUAREZ THROWS TO POLANCO. SPRINGER OUT AT FIRST AS POLANCO THROWS TO MILES MASTROBUONI. 27. POLANCO HUGGING CRAWFORD 28. NAYLOR 29. MARINERS CELEBRATING 2-0 SERIES LEAD STORY: Julio Rodiguez and Jorge Polanco hit three-run homers and the Seattle Mariners took a 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series Monday (October 13) with a 10-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Josh Naylor added a two-run blast among his three hits for the Mariners, who will host the next three games of the best-of-seven series starting Wednesday. Seattle scored three in the first against Trey Yesavage (1-1). Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch, Cal Raleigh walked and Rodriguez slugged a 1-2 splitter to left for his second homer of the postseason. Toronto answered with two in the bottom of the inning against Logan Gilbert. George Springer doubled to left and scored when first baseman Naylor threw wildly to Gilbert, who was covering first on Nathan Lukes's grounder. Alejandro Kirk lined an RBI two-out single to center. Ernie Clement scooped a single to center to open the home second and advanced to third on two groundouts. Springer walked and Lukes lined an RBI single to right to tie the game at 3. Center fielder Daulton Varsho kept the score tied in the third with his diving backhand catch of Eugenio Suarez's two-out liner with two out and runners at the corners. Eduard Bazardo (1-0) replaced Gilbert, who allowed three runs (two earned), five hits and one walk with two strikeouts in three innings. Yesavage was replaced by Louis Varland with none out in the fifth after Arozarena reached second on an infield hit and throwing error and Raleigh was intentionally walked. Polanco drilled a 1-1 fastball to center for his third homer of the postseason. Yesavage was charged with five runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in four-plus innings. Pinch hitter Mitch Garver led off the sixth with a triple off the center-field wall against Mason Fluharty. Pinch runner Leo Rivas scored on J.P. Crawford's bloop single to left. Polanco singled and Naylor, a native of nearby Mississauga, Ontario, hit his first homer of the postseason against Braydon Fisher in the seventh. Yariel Rodriguez took over, walked the bases loaded and was replaced by Chris Bassitt. Crawford lined a sacrifice fly to center. Toronto's Anthony Santander (back tightness) was a late scratch. (Production: Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: PRESS CONFERENCE WITH ENGLAND HEAD COACH THOMAS TUCHEL AHEAD OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIER AWAY TO LATVIA RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SHOTLIST SHOWS: RIGA, LATVIA (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. ENGLAND HEAD COACH, THOMAS TUCHEL, ARRIVING AT PRESS CONFERENCE 2. TUCHEL DRINKING WATER 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND HEAD COACH, THOMAS TUCHEL, SAYING: "Very easy with Harry (Kane). He can play. He's fit. We did the right thing. Top in training and ready to go, and I don't see why he shouldn't be able to play 90 minutes. The pause was just a short pause for him. He played all matches before for Bayern Munich. So, I don't see any obstacles there." 4. TUCHEL JOKING WITH PRESS 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND HEAD COACH, THOMAS TUCHEL, SAYING: "Yeah, I saw that. I saw it even against Andorra at home, even if we couldn't prove it in terms of the result, and maybe people outside expected more than just a 2-0 and underestimated the defensive performance from Andorra a little bit. But I saw it even in this game: the commitment, especially in the defensive work, the commitment in the high press. There was a significant shift in our attitude and in the way we played. Then we had, of course, two very good results, good performances lately, in Serbia and against Wales, and we want to take the next step. Yeah, I feel this. I feel that we are building something and we are going in the right direction. But as always in sports, tomorrow is the most difficult game. Tomorrow, we have to show respect to our opponent, respect the circumstances. It's an away match in a World Cup qualifier and we can with the results from Albania and Serbia, we can qualify tomorrow, and we want to do it with a win. That's extra motivation, of course." 6. PRESS CONFERENCE ONGOING 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND HEAD COACH, THOMAS TUCHEL, SAYING: "Believe it or not, my thoughts are not about November right now because it will change a lot if we can fix qualification or not. So, this is where all the energy goes at the moment. When I say I expect a win, I expect, first of all, a performance that makes us the deserved winners. I know good enough that it's never guaranteed to win football matches. Too many things can happen. Luck and being unlucky is such a big part of the game. But we are in the moment where we expect the next good performance, top performance from us, and that should give us all the chances to win." 8. PRESS CONFERENCE 9. TUCHEL LEAVING STORY: England captain Harry Kane is fit and ready to lead his side against Latvia, manager Thomas Tuchel said on Monday (October 13), ahead of a game where his team can seal World Cup qualification. Kane missed Thursday's 3-0 friendly win over Wales having picked up an ankle injury in Bayern Munich's last game, but England's all-time record scorer with 74 goals is back when it really matters. England top Group K with maximum points after five matches, and after Serbia's 1-0 defeat by Albania on Sunday, a win in Riga on Tuesday would give Tuchel's side an unassailable lead and a place at next year's World Cup. Despite winning all five group games without conceding a goal, England have come in for criticism, especially for their performances against Andorra, labouring to a 1-0 win away and then a 2-0 victory at home. England looked more impressive in their 5-0 hammering of Serbia in their most recent group game, but Tuchel has seen plenty of positives throughout the campaign. (Production: Janis Laizans, Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: SUPER EAGLES AND BENIN TEAMS TRAINING / NEWS CONFERENCES WITH COACHES AND CAPTAINS FROM BOTH TEAMS AHEAD OF MATCH / SOUNDBITES FROM COACHES AND CAPTAINS SHOWS: SHOWS: UYO, NIGERIA (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS OF NIGERIA'S SUPER EAGLES TEAM TRAINING 2. BALLS ON PITCH 3. SUPER EAGLES COACH ERIC CHELLE WATCHING TEAM 4. SUPER EAGLES TEAM TRAINING 5. SUPER EAGLES COACH ERIC CHELLE AND CAPTAIN WILLIAM EKONG SEATED DURING A PRESSER 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SUPER EAGLES COACH, ERIC CHELLE, SAYING:     "I am very happy, I am very excited. Sometimes I am a little nervous but I like this pressure and tomorrow we will see." 7. JOURNALISTS WITH PHONES 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SUPER EAGLES CAPTAIN, WILLIAM TROOST-EKONG, SAYING:     "All the boys are really focused on being on the best game possibly tomorrow, playing against Benin is not easy. There's no guarantee because we are playing against the coach that knows this team very well. We've worked with him for 5 years, so there are so many factors and things that if you think you spend so much time thinking about all of that it's going to be distractions of what we have to do so we focus on ourselves like the coach said." 9. VARIOUS OF BENIN TEAM TRAINING 10.  COACH GERNOT ROHR AND CAPTAIN STEVE MOUNIE SEATED AT PRESS CONFERENCE 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BENIN TEAM COACH, GERNOT ROHR, SAYING:     "We can do it, and we are the only team from the three who still can hope to have our destiny in our hands, that's why I think we have a good position even if it will be a surprise to win here." 12. PHONE ON TRIPOD, RECORDING 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BENIN TEAM CAPTAIN, STEVE MOUNIE, SAYING:     "We have a chance tomorrow, we are the only team who beat Nigeria, I think we are the only team that can beat them again so hopefully we will take our chance tomorrow and get this qualification." 14. COACH GERNOT ROHR WATCHING HIS TEAM TRAIN STORY:      On Monday (October 13), Nigeria's Super Eagles and Benin's national football team intensified preparations ahead of their World Cup qualifier, with coaches and captains expressing cautious optimism during press briefings.      Benin, who defeated Nigeria during the first leg of the World Cup qualifiers, aim to replicate their success.       Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle said he was eager yet slightly nervous ahead of the match, "I am very happy, I am very excited. Sometimes I am a little nervous but I like this pressure and tomorrow we will see, he said." Captain William Troost-Ekong emphasized the team's focus despite facing their former coach, Gernot Rohr, who is now coaching the Benin team. "Playing against Benin is not easy… We've worked with him for five years, so there are so many factors… We focus on ourselves like the coach said," he remarked.      Benin's coach, Gernot Rohr, and captain Steve Mounie also expressed confidence ahead of the encounter. "We can do it, and we are the only team from the three who still can hope to have our destiny in our hands," Rohr stated      Both teams conducted training sessions in Uyo, with the match tomorrow set to determine crucial standings in the World Cup qualification campaign. (Production: Seun Sanni, Angela Ukomadu)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: SUPER EAGLES AND BENIN TEAMS TRAINING / NEWS CONFERENCES WITH COACHES AND CAPTAINS FROM BOTH TEAMS AHEAD OF MATCH / SOUNDBITES FROM COACHES AND CAPTAINS SHOWS: UYO, NIGERIA (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS OF NIGERIA'S SUPER EAGLES TEAM TRAINING 2. BALLS ON PITCH 3. SUPER EAGLES COACH ERIC CHELLE WATCHING TEAM 4. SUPER EAGLES TEAM TRAINING 5. SUPER EAGLES COACH ERIC CHELLE AND CAPTAIN WILLIAM EKONG SEATED DURING A PRESSER 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SUPER EAGLES COACH, ERIC CHELLE, SAYING:     "I am very happy, I am very excited. Sometimes I am a little nervous but I like this pressure and tomorrow we will see." 7. JOURNALISTS WITH PHONES 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SUPER EAGLES CAPTAIN, WILLIAM TROOST-EKONG, SAYING:     "All the boys are really focused on being on the best game possibly tomorrow, playing against Benin is not easy. There's no guarantee because we are playing against the coach that knows this team very well. We've worked with him for 5 years, so there are so many factors and things that if you think you spend so much time thinking about all of that it's going to be distractions of what we have to do so we focus on ourselves like the coach said." 9. VARIOUS OF BENIN TEAM TRAINING 10.  COACH GERNOT ROHR AND CAPTAIN STEVE MOUNIE SEATED AT PRESS CONFERENCE 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BENIN TEAM COACH, GERNOT ROHR, SAYING:     "We can do it, and we are the only team from the three who still can hope to have our destiny in our hands, that's why I think we have a good position even if it will be a surprise to win here." 12. PHONE ON TRIPOD, RECORDING 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BENIN TEAM CAPTAIN, STEVE MOUNIE, SAYING:     "We have a chance tomorrow, we are the only team who beat Nigeria, I think we are the only team that can beat them again so hopefully we will take our chance tomorrow and get this qualification." 14. COACH GERNOT ROHR WATCHING HIS TEAM TRAIN STORY:      On Monday (October 13), Nigeria's Super Eagles and Benin's national football team intensified preparations ahead of their World Cup qualifier, with coaches and captains expressing cautious optimism during press briefings.      Benin, who defeated Nigeria during the first leg of the World Cup qualifiers, aim to replicate their success.       Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle said he was eager yet slightly nervous ahead of the match, "I am very happy, I am very excited. Sometimes I am a little nervous but I like this pressure and tomorrow we will see, he said." Captain William Troost-Ekong emphasized the team's focus despite facing their former coach, Gernot Rohr, who is now coaching the Benin team. "Playing against Benin is not easy… We've worked with him for five years, so there are so many factors… We focus on ourselves like the coach said," he remarked.      Benin's coach, Gernot Rohr, and captain Steve Mounie also expressed confidence ahead of the encounter. "We can do it, and we are the only team from the three who still can hope to have our destiny in our hands," Rohr stated      Both teams conducted training sessions in Uyo, with the match tomorrow set to determine crucial standings in the World Cup qualification campaign. (Production: Seun Sanni, Angela Ukomadu)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM SPAIN COACH LUIS DE LA FUENTE COMPLETE STORY TO FOLLOW SHOWS: VALLADOLID, SPAIN (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (RFEF – Must not obscure logo. No resales. No monetisation) TO FOLLOW STORY: Spain are hoping to continue their dominant start to World Cup qualifying when they host Bulgaria in Valladolid's Jose Zorrilla Stadium on Tuesday (October 14). Luis de la Fuente's side have struggled with injuries of late with Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri all sidelined.  Barcelona forward Ferran Torres was then forced to pull out of the national team squad due to muscle soreness in his left hamstring after playing the full 90 minutes of Spain's 2-0 win over Georgia on Saturday. Despite the setbacks, Spain are top of Group E with nine points, three ahead of Turkey while Georgia remain third on three. Bulgaria sit rock bottom having suffered three consecutive defeats to start the campaign.  (Production: Conal Quinn)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: CAPE VERDE CELEBRATIONS AFTER QUALIFYING FOR THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: PRAIA, CAPE VERDE (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (FIFA – Editorial use only, no monetisation, no resales) STORY: Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup on Monday (October 13), beating Eswatini 3-0 in their last group match to top the standings ahead of Cameroon and complete a fairytale campaign. The wind-swept West African archipelago overcame first-half nerves to win in Praia with second-half goals from Dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo and veteran Stopira and book a first-ever appearance at the finals. They started two points ahead of Cameroon, whose eight previous World Cup finals appearances are the most by an African country. Cape Verde finished Group D on 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who were held at home to a goalless draw by Angola. Cape Verde rarely played international football some 25 years ago but now head to next year's finals in North America as one of the nine African representatives. They join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Ghana who have qualified already. Livramento took advantage of Eswatini's failure to clear to steer home the ball from close range three minutes into the second half while Semedo also had a tap-in for the second six minutes later. Stopira, 37, had only come on as a late substitute as an acknowledgement of his long service with the team since 2008, and put a cherry on the cake with a stoppage-time goal. The island's 600,000 inhabitants had been given the day off to support their team but there was little to cheer in a tentative first half before Livramento scored. After that, the celebrations could not be contained. Cape Verde are the second smallest country to qualify for the World Cup after Iceland, who competed in Russia in 2018. Cameroon will likely advance to the playoffs for the four best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups but were jeered off in Yaounde after failure to beat Angola whose 39-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Marques made several telling stops. (Production: Stefan Haskins)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: CAPE VERDE SOCCER FANS CELEBRATING OUTSIDE STADIUM / COMMENTS FROM FORWARD, DAILON LIVRAMENTO/ FANS WATCHING MATCH AT OUTDOOR SCREENING AREA SHOWS: PRAIA, CAPE VERDE (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (REUTERS – Access All) 1. CAPE VERDE FANS PARADING DOWN STREET, SINGING AND WAVING FLAGS AFTER QUALIFYING FOR THEIR FIRST EVER WORLD CUP 2. CHILD HOLDING SIGN READING (Portuguese) "#Blue sharks #Go Cape Verde #Make us proud" 3. FANS CHEERING AND BLOWING HORNS 4. FANS MARCHING 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CAPE VERDE FORWARD, DAILON LIVRAMENTO, SAYING:     "We wanted to go to the World Cup and we did it, we did it together. It wasn't just us on the pitch, it was everyone in the entire stadium." 6. MOUNTAIN NEAR SEASIDE 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CAPE VERDE FORWARD, DAILON LIVRAMENTO, SAYING:     "Let's have fun. We got ourselves into the World Cup, now it's time to have fun together." 8. FANS WATCHING MATCH IN OUTDOOR VIEWING AREA 9. VARIOUS OF MEN COOKING CHICKEN AT VIEWING AREA 10. WOMEN WEARING CAPE VERDE JERSEYS EATING FOOD 11. FANS WATCHING MATCH UNDER TENT 12. FANS CHEERING AFTER GOAL 13. VARIOUS OF FANS DANCING 14. FANS SHOWING CAPE VERDE FLAG STORY: Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup on Monday (October 13), beating Eswatini 3-0 in their last group match to top the standings ahead of Cameroon and complete a fairytale campaign. The wind-swept West African archipelago overcame first-half nerves to win in Praia with second-half goals from Dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo and veteran Stopira and book a first-ever appearance at the finals. They started two points ahead of Cameroon, whose eight previous World Cup finals appearances are the most by an African country. Cape Verde finished Group D on 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who were held at home to a goalless draw by Angola. Cape Verde rarely played international football some 25 years ago but now head to next year's finals in North America as one of the nine African representatives. They join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Ghana who have qualified already. Livramento took advantage of Eswatini's failure to clear to steer home the ball from close range three minutes into the second half while Semedo also had a tap-in for the second six minutes later. Stopira, 37, had only come on as a late substitute as an acknowledgement of his long service with the team since 2008, and put a cherry on the cake with a stoppage-time goal. The island's 600,000 inhabitants had been given the day off to support their team but there was little to cheer in a tentative first half before Livramento scored. After that, the celebrations could not be contained. Cape Verde are the second smallest country to qualify for the World Cup after Iceland, who competed in Russia in 2018. Cameroon will likely advance to the playoffs for the four best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups but were jeered off in Yaounde after failure to beat Angola whose 39-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Marques made several telling stops. (Production: Davidson Alvez, Cooper Inveen)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: CAPE VERDE SOCCER FANS CELEBRATING OUTSIDE STADIUM / COMMENTS FROM FORWARD, DAILON LIVRAMENTO/ FANS WATCHING MATCH AT OUTDOOR SCREENING AREA SHOWS: PRAIA, CAPE VERDE (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (REUTERS – Access All) 1. CAPE VERDE FANS PARADING DOWN STREET, SINGING AND WAVING FLAGS AFTER QUALIFYING FOR THEIR FIRST EVER WORLD CUP 2. CHILD HOLDING SIGN READING (Portuguese) "#Blue sharks #Go Cape Verde #Make us proud" 3. FANS CHEERING AND BLOWING HORNS 4. FANS MARCHING 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CAPE VERDE FORWARD, DAILON LIVRAMENTO, SAYING:     "We wanted to go to the World Cup and we did it, we did it together. It wasn't just us on the pitch, it was everyone in the entire stadium." 6. MOUNTAIN NEAR SEASIDE 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CAPE VERDE FORWARD, DAILON LIVRAMENTO, SAYING:     "Let's have fun. We got ourselves into the World Cup, now it's time to have fun together." 8. FANS WATCHING MATCH IN OUTDOOR VIEWING AREA 9. VARIOUS OF MEN COOKING CHICKEN AT VIEWING AREA 10. WOMEN WEARING CAPE VERDE JERSEYS EATING FOOD 11. FANS WATCHING MATCH UNDER TENT 12. FANS CHEERING AFTER GOAL 13. VARIOUS OF FANS DANCING 14. FANS SHOWING CAPE VERDE FLAG STORY: Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup on Monday (October 13), beating Eswatini 3-0 in their last group match to top the standings ahead of Cameroon and complete a fairytale campaign. The wind-swept West African archipelago overcame first-half nerves to win in Praia with second-half goals from Dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo and veteran Stopira and book a first-ever appearance at the finals. They started two points ahead of Cameroon, whose eight previous World Cup finals appearances are the most by an African country. Cape Verde finished Group D on 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who were held at home to a goalless draw by Angola. Cape Verde rarely played international football some 25 years ago but now head to next year's finals in North America as one of the nine African representatives. They join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Ghana who have qualified already. Livramento took advantage of Eswatini's failure to clear to steer home the ball from close range three minutes into the second half while Semedo also had a tap-in for the second six minutes later. Stopira, 37, had only come on as a late substitute as an acknowledgement of his long service with the team since 2008, and put a cherry on the cake with a stoppage-time goal. The island's 600,000 inhabitants had been given the day off to support their team but there was little to cheer in a tentative first half before Livramento scored. After that, the celebrations could not be contained. Cape Verde are the second smallest country to qualify for the World Cup after Iceland, who competed in Russia in 2018. Cameroon will likely advance to the playoffs for the four best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups but were jeered off in Yaounde after failure to beat Angola whose 39-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Marques made several telling stops. (Production: Davidson Alvez, Cooper Inveen)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: CAPE VERDE SOCCER FANS CELEBRATING OUTSIDE STADIUM / COMMENTS FROM FORWARD, DAILON LIVRAMENTO/ FANS WATCHING MATCH AT OUTDOOR SCREENING AREA SHOWS: PRAIA, CAPE VERDE (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (REUTERS – Access All) 1. CAPE VERDE FANS PARADING DOWN STREET, SINGING AND WAVING FLAGS AFTER QUALIFYING FOR THEIR FIRST EVER WORLD CUP 2. CHILD HOLDING SIGN READING (Portuguese) "#Blue sharks #Go Cape Verde #Make us proud" 3. FANS CHEERING AND BLOWING HORNS 4. FANS MARCHING 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CAPE VERDE FORWARD, DAILON LIVRAMENTO, SAYING:     "We wanted to go to the World Cup and we did it, we did it together. It wasn't just us on the pitch, it was everyone in the entire stadium." 6. MOUNTAIN NEAR SEASIDE 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CAPE VERDE FORWARD, DAILON LIVRAMENTO, SAYING:     "Let's have fun. We got ourselves into the World Cup, now it's time to have fun together." 8. FANS WATCHING MATCH IN OUTDOOR VIEWING AREA 9. VARIOUS OF MEN COOKING CHICKEN AT VIEWING AREA 10. WOMEN WEARING CAPE VERDE JERSEYS EATING FOOD 11. FANS WATCHING MATCH UNDER TENT 12. FANS CHEERING AFTER GOAL 13. VARIOUS OF FANS DANCING 14. FANS SHOWING CAPE VERDE FLAG STORY: Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup on Monday (October 13), beating Eswatini 3-0 in their last group match to top the standings ahead of Cameroon and complete a fairytale campaign. The wind-swept West African archipelago overcame first-half nerves to win in Praia with second-half goals from Dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo and veteran Stopira and book a first-ever appearance at the finals. They started two points ahead of Cameroon, whose eight previous World Cup finals appearances are the most by an African country. Cape Verde finished Group D on 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who were held at home to a goalless draw by Angola. Cape Verde rarely played international football some 25 years ago but now head to next year's finals in North America as one of the nine African representatives. They join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Ghana who have qualified already. Livramento took advantage of Eswatini's failure to clear to steer home the ball from close range three minutes into the second half while Semedo also had a tap-in for the second six minutes later. Stopira, 37, had only come on as a late substitute as an acknowledgement of his long service with the team since 2008, and put a cherry on the cake with a stoppage-time goal. The island's 600,000 inhabitants had been given the day off to support their team but there was little to cheer in a tentative first half before Livramento scored. After that, the celebrations could not be contained. Cape Verde are the second smallest country to qualify for the World Cup after Iceland, who competed in Russia in 2018. Cameroon will likely advance to the playoffs for the four best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups but were jeered off in Yaounde after failure to beat Angola whose 39-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Marques made several telling stops. (Production: Davidson Alvez, Cooper Inveen)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

VIDEO SHOWS: CAPE VERDE CELEBRATIONS AFTER QUALIFYING FOR THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: PRAIA, CAPE VERDE (OCTOBER 13, 2025) (FIFA – Editorial use only, no monetisation, no resales) STORY: Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup on Monday (October 13), beating Eswatini 3-0 in their last group match to top the standings ahead of Cameroon and complete a fairytale campaign. The wind-swept West African archipelago overcame first-half nerves to win in Praia with second-half goals from Dailon Livramento, Willy Semedo and veteran Stopira and book a first-ever appearance at the finals. They started two points ahead of Cameroon, whose eight previous World Cup finals appearances are the most by an African country. Cape Verde finished Group D on 23 points, four ahead of Cameroon, who were held at home to a goalless draw by Angola. Cape Verde rarely played international football some 25 years ago but now head to next year's finals in North America as one of the nine African representatives. They join Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Ghana who have qualified already. Livramento took advantage of Eswatini's failure to clear to steer home the ball from close range three minutes into the second half while Semedo also had a tap-in for the second six minutes later. Stopira, 37, had only come on as a late substitute as an acknowledgement of his long service with the team since 2008, and put a cherry on the cake with a stoppage-time goal. The island's 600,000 inhabitants had been given the day off to support their team but there was little to cheer in a tentative first half before Livramento scored. After that, the celebrations could not be contained. Cape Verde are the second smallest country to qualify for the World Cup after Iceland, who competed in Russia in 2018. Cameroon will likely advance to the playoffs for the four best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups but were jeered off in Yaounde after failure to beat Angola whose 39-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Marques made several telling stops. (Production: Stefan Haskins)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)