Cabo Verde secured a historic World Cup draw against Spain, aided by the Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde financed and built with Chinese support.
Cabo Verde President Jose Maria Neves wrote on Facebook after the match in the US city of Atlanta, “If today, 50 years later, we are at the World Cup, we have already proven that we are a viable nation.”
China financed and a Chinese state-owned contractor built the 15,000-capacity Estadio Nacional de Cabo Verde, completed in 2014 as part of Beijing’s “stadium diplomacy.” The venue was constructed after Cabo Verde reached the African Cup of Nations quarter-finals for the first time in 2013.
It has since served as the national team’s home ground for qualifying campaigns.
