Who are the Smallest Countries To Qualify For FIFA World Cup? Cape Verde Latest On The List

Over the years, there have been 80 countries that have been a part of the FIFA World Cup so far, and while some of them are footballing giants with huge populations, some are comparatively quite small. While there are a lot of small countries that have qualified for the FIFA World Cup, you might wonder which is the smallest country to qualify for World Cup ever? Well, join us as we take a look at some of the smallest nations to qualify for World Cup over the years.

9) Slovenia ( Population - 1.9 Million)

Slovenia has been performing commendably well in recent years and is a part of the former Yugoslavia. One of their all-time veterans, Zlatko Zahovic, led them to the Euros 2000, and they ultimately reached the 2002 FIFA World Cup and defeated the Romania National Football Team to seal their berth in the coveted tournament. While they lost all their group stage encounters, Slovenia became one of the smallest country to qualify for World Cup.

8) Uruguay (Population - 1.9 million)

With an almost identical population, the Uruguay National Football Team took part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and performed brilliantly at the tournament. They have won the competition twice before and are one of the smallest country to qualify for World Cup ever and eventually win it. During the 1930 World Cup, Uruguay's population was around 1.9 million, making it one of the smallest country to qualify for World Cup.

7) United Arab Emirates (Population- 1.9 million)

The UAE qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup with almost 2 million population and became one of the smallest nations to qualify for World Cup. While they suffered three disastrous defeats, the UAE football team reached the tournament before Asian giants like Japan and Saudi Arabia.

6) Kuwait (Population- 1.5 million)

The 1982 World Cup saw the Kuwait National Football Team qualify for the tournament for the first time, and back then, the country had a population of 1.5 million at the time. They were in a tough group, which included England, France, and Czechoslovakia.

5) Northern Ireland (Population - 1.4 million)

Northern Ireland has been performing against all odds at the FIFA World Cup whenever they qualified. They qualified for the quarter finals in 1958 but were unfortunately unsuccessful in winning the trophy. Their last appearance came in 1986, where they were eliminated from the group stage. With a population of almost 1.4 million, Northern Ireland was one of the smallest country to qualify for World Cup in the 1958 edition.

4) Trinidad & Tobago (Population- 1.3 million)

Trinidad & Tobago reached the FIFA World Cup in 2006 after several attempts. By showcasing massive survival skills against Sweden in their opener, they were eliminated from the tournament after being defeated by England and Paraguay. However, with around 1.3 million population, Trinidad & Tobago are amongst the smallest nations to qualify for World Cup.

3) Paraguay (Population - 860,000)

While there is no accurate information available regarding Paraguay's population during its 1930 appearance, the data based on censuses taken in 1924 and 1936 showcase that its population was around 860,000 at the time. The Paraguay national team famously defeated Belgium in the tournament but were unable to progress further. Nevertheless, Paraguay remains one of the smallest country to qualify for World Cup.

2) Cape Verde (Population- 524,000)

The Cape Verde national football team created history by qualifying for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time. They topped their group in the recent African qualifiers and are the second smallest country to qualify for World Cup. With a huge challenge ahead of them, it remains to be seen how the nation performs at the ultimate tournament in 2026.

1) Iceland (Population - 340,000)

Iceland remains the smallest country to qualify for World Cup ever. They secured qualification by beating England at Euro 2016 and reached the quarter-finals. They topped the qualifying group featuring Croatia, Turkey, and Ukraine and also showcased intense competition by managing a draw with Argentina in the campaign opener. The Iceland national team were defeated by Nigeria and Croatia, which ended their run in the tournament.