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The Cape Verde World Cup 2026 squad will be one of several debutants at the summer tournament.
The Blue Sharks’ qualification for World Cup 2026 is the nation’s most spectacular footballing achievement ever – and despite having one of the most inexperienced squads at the tournament, there will be a celebratory atmosphere in all of Cape Verde’s fixtures.
Head coach Bubista has called up a mixed group with just one player – Logan Costa of Villarreal – playing his club football in Europe’s top five leagues: so they’re not exactly tournament favourites.
There are some fantastic stories among this group, however: captain, all-time scorer and record appearance-maker Ryan Mendes will lead the line 16 years after his debut, while Republic of Ireland-born Pico will represent Shamrock Rovers on the international stage.
Fortunately, there aren’t many players we thought were dead-certs who have been excluded either, with goalkeeper Bruno Varela the most-capped player to miss out of anyone who’s played for Bubista in the last year – and he only has eight caps.
Getting a result in the United States this summer will be an extremely tall order for this group, with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia all coming up in the groups.
But Cape Verde knows as well as everyone else that just one win could see them into a knockout stage… and anything is possible now that they’re actually here.
Squad
Cape Verde World Cup 2026 squad: The final selection
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GK: Vozinha (Chaves)
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GK: Marcio Rosa (Montana)
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GK: CJ dos Santos (San Diego)
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DF: Stopira (Torreense)
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DF: Pico (Shamrock Rovers)
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DF: Joao Paulo (FCSB)
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DF: Diney (Al Bataeh)
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DF: Logan Costa (Villarreal)
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DF: Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew)
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DF: Wagner Pina (Trabzonspor)
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DF: Sidny Lopes Cabral (Benfica)
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DF: Kelvin Pires (SJK)
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MF: Jamiro Monteiro (PEC Zwolle)
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MF: Kevin Pina (Krasnodar)
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MF: Deroy Duarte (Ludogorets Razgrad)
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MF: Telmo Arcanjo (Vitoria de Guimaraes)
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MF: Laros Duarte (Puskas Akademia)
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MF: Yannick Semedo (Farense)
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FW: Ryan Mendes (Igdir)
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FW: Garry Rodrigues (Apollon Limassol)
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FW: Willy Semedo (Omonia)
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FW: Jovane Cabral (Estrela Amadora)
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FW: Benchimol (Akron Tolyatti)
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FW: Dailon Livramento (Casa Pia)
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FW: Helio Varela (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
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FW: Nuno da Costa (Istanbul Basaksehir)
Fixtures and results
Fixtures
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June 15, 2026: Spain vs Cape Verde, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States
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June 21, 2026: Uruguay vs Cape Verde, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States
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June 27, 2026: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia, NRG Stadium, Houston, United States
Recent results
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March 30, 2026: Cape Verde 1-1 Finland, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
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March 27, 2026: Chile 4-2 Cape Verde, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
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November 17, 2025: Egypt 1-1 Cape Verde (2-0 pens), Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, UAE
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November 13, 2025: Iran 0-0 Cape Verde (5-4 pens), Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, UAE
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October 13, 2025: Cape Verde 3-0 Eswatini, Stade National, Praia, Cape Verde
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October 08, 2025: Libya 3-3 Cape Verde, 11 June Stadium, Tripoli, Libya
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September 09, 2025: Cape Verde 1-0 Cameroon, Stade National, Praia, Cape Verde
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September 04, 2025: Mauritius 0-2 Cape Verde, Cote d’Or National Sports Complex, Saint Pierre, Mauritius
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June 08, 2025: Georgia 1-1 Cape Verde, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia
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May 29, 2025: Malaysia 0-3 Cape Verde (Awarded), Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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March 25, 2025: Angola 1-2 Cape Verde, Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola
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March 20, 2025: Cape Verde 1-0 Mauritius, Stade National, Praia, Cape Verde
Manager
Who is Cape Verde’s manager?
Bubista, picking up Coach of the Year award at the CAF Awards ceremony | Credit: Abu Adem Muhammed/Anadolu via Getty Images
Bubista has taken Cape Verde to three major tournaments in his time as manager since taking over in 2020.
Under his stewardship, in 2023 they reached the quarter-finals for the second time in their history. He has an impressive 48% win rate as manager.
He played 28 times for his country, captaining them on several occasions.
Star player
Who is Cape Verde’s star player?
Ryan Mendes is integral to Cape Verde | Credit: FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
Ryan Mendes is both Cape Verde’s most capped player, and highest goalscorer of all time.
The forward is 36, making it likely to be his only appearance at the tournament for his country.
He captains the squad as well as leading the attack, and will be hoping to make the most of the opportunity to lead his nation at their first ever World Cup.
