The tiny African island nation of Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup for the first time on Monday after beating Eswatini 3-0.
With a population smaller than that of the U.S. state of Vermont, Cape Verde is the second smallest country to make it to the men's World Cup since the first tournament in 1930.
Here's a look at the tiniest countries in World Cup history, based on their population when they appeared at the tournament:
With a population of just over 350,000, Iceland became the smallest country to reach the World Cup when it qualified for the tournament in Russia in 2018.
That was two years after the team famously eliminated England to reach the quarterfinals of the 2016 European Championship.
In Russia, Iceland managed a draw against Argentina but losses to Croatia and Nigeria placed it last in its World Cup group.
The island nation off the coast of West Africa has about 525,000 inhabitants and is ranked 70th in the FIFA men's world ranking.
Cape Verde earned a spot at the 2026 World Cup by finishing first in its African qualifying group ahead of Cameroon, one of the continent's top soccer powers.
The country which won independence from Portugal 50 years ago has appeared at the Africa Cup of Nations four times, and reached the quarterfinals in 2013 and 2023.
Of the countries that have qualified so far for next year's World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, it is by far the smallest.
The South American country had an estimated population of just under 1 million when it appeared at the inaugural World Cup in 1930.
Paraguay was eliminated in the first round after losing to the United States and defeating Belgium.
The Paraguayans will make their ninth World Cup appearance next year after grabbing the last of South America's six direct qualifying spots.
The Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago won an international playoff to earn its first and only World Cup appearance in 2006 in Germany.
With a population of 1.3 million, it was the smallest country in that tournament by some margin.
Trinidad and Tobago salvaged a draw with Sweden but lost against England and Paraguay to finish last in its group.
It has not been back to the World Cup since.
Northern Ireland had an estimated 1.4 million inhabitants when it reached the 1958 World Cup.
The team defeated Czechoslovakia, lost to Argentina and drew against Germany in the group stage. It was eliminated by France in the knockout phase.
Northern Ireland also played in the World Cup in 1982 and 1986.
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Fans celebrate in the stands after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Estádio Nacional in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to clinch their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. (AP Photo/Cristiano Barbosa)
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (AP) — A construction crane collapsed onto an elevated road near Bangkok, killing two people on Thursday, a day after another crane fell on a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand and killed 32 people.
The work on an extension of the Rama 2 Road expressway — a major artery leading from Bangkok — has become notorious for construction accidents, some of them fatal.
The crane collapsed at part of the road project in Samut Sakhon province, trapping two vehicles in the wreckage, according to the government’s Public Relations Department.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Thai TV Channel 7 that two people had died. It was unclear if anyone else had been trapped in the wreckage.
There was uncertainty about the number of victims because the site is still considered too dangerous for search teams to enter, said Suchart Tongteng, a rescue worker with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.
“At this moment, we still can’t say whether another collapse could happen,” he said, citing dangling steel plates. “That’s why there are no rescue personnel inside the scene, only teams conducting on-site safety assessments.”
At the site of Wednesday's train derailment, the search for survivors ended, Nakhon Ratchasima Gov. Anuphong Suksomnit said. Three passengers listed as missing were presumed to have gotten off the train earlier, but that was still being investigated.
Officials believed 171 people had been aboard the train’s three carriages, which were being removed from the scene Thursday.
The crane that fell, crushing part of the train, was a launching gantry crane, a mobile piece of equipment often used in building elevated roadways.
Police were still collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses and have not pressed charges, provincial Police Chief Narongsak Promta told reporters.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry reported a South Korean man in his late 30s, was among the dead.
The high-speed rail project where the accident occurred is associated with the plan to connect China with Southeast Asia under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.
Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.
A statement posted on the website of the company, also known as Italthai, expressed condolences to the victims and said the company would pay compensation to the families of the dead and hospitalization expenses for the injured.
Transport Minister Phiphat said Italthai was also the lead contractor on the highway project where Thursday's accident took place, though several other companies are also involved.
The rail accident had already sparked outrage because Italthai was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok that collapsed during construction last March during a major earthquake centered in Myanmar. The building's collapse was the worst quake damage in Thailand and about 100 people were killed.
Twenty-three individuals and companies have been indicted, including Italthai's president and the local director for the company China Railway No. 10, the project’s joint venture partner. The charges in the case include professional negligence and document forgery, and Thailand's Department of Special Investigation has recommended more indictments.
The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai and Chinese companies’ involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday the government was aware of the rail accident and had expressed condolences.
Associated Press writers Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
Relatives of victims and others wait at a hospital, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Relatives wait at a hospital to receive bodies of victims, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Forensic workers inspect the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A cuddly toy lies on the ground at the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
