Africa-Press – Cape verde. The government announced this Thursday that it will grant a day off nationwide on Monday, October 13th, for the match between Cape Verde and Eswatini, counting towards the 2026 World Cup qualification.
The measure, contained in Resolution No. 107/2025 published in the Official Gazette (BO), expands on the decision announced a day earlier by Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva, which initially would only apply from noon on the island of Santiago, where the match will be held.
In the resolution, the government explains that “the National Football Team has had an exceptional campaign in the qualifiers for the final stage of the World Cup.”
Indeed, it adds, “it is one step away from this historic feat” and the “fans, who have contributed so much, deserve to witness this moment with all their passion and enthusiasm.”
The government considers the match “crucial and decisive for the national team” and is granting a day off “to allow the people of the islands, in person or remotely, to participate and support the team in the match against Eswatini.”
The government adds that “everyone, without exception, anywhere in the diaspora, is called upon to sing together and with one voice the Song of Freedom and cheer, with and for the team, at every play of this match.”
The day off includes employees and agents of the State, public institutions, and local authorities.
Excluded from this measure are the Armed Forces, the National Police, the Judicial Police, health facilities, prison guards and security guards, and services that operate continuously and whose staff presence is imperative.
With one round remaining in the group stage, Cape Verde leads Pool D with 20 points, followed by Cameroon (18), Libya (15), Angola (11), Mauritius (5), and Eswatini (3).
According to the new regulations, the 54 African countries were divided into nine groups of six teams (Groups A to I), and the winners of each group automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The four best second-place teams will compete in a “final four” where the team that will represent Africa will be decided in an intercontinental playoff, which could increase the number of African countries in the tournament to be held in Canada, the United States, and Mexico to 10.
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