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Cape Verde World Cup squad 2026: Bubista's squad for the Blue Sharks' World Cup debut
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- Cape Verde World Cup squad 2026: Bubista's squad for the Blue Sharks' World Cup debut
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Roberto Lopes, left, and Deroy Duarte. | Credit: Getty Images
The Cape Verde World Cup 2026 squad are representing one of the four debut nations competing for the first time in the United States, Canada and Mexico .
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Despite having one of the most inexperienced squads at the tournament , the Blue Sharks are determined to make a name for themselves and enjoy the experience at the same time.
Head coach Bubista, who called up just one player from Europe's top five leagues, will be expecting a celebratory atmosphere at all three of Cape Verde's games in Atlanta, Miami and Houston.
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There are some fantastic stories among this group. Captain, all-time scorer and record appearance-maker Ryan Mendes is leading the line 16 years after his debut, while Pico represents Shamrock Rovers on the international stage and is the first Irish-born player born in the 1990s to play at the World Cup.
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There aren't many players we thought were dead-certs who have been excluded, with goalkeeper Bruno Varela the most-capped player of anyone who's played for Bubista in the last year to miss out – 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 Group H.
But Cape Verde know 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.
Mood
Forget Cool Runnings, Mighty Ducks
or Renford Rejects
, Cape Verde's passage to the World Cup is a sporting underdog story for the ages. The Creoles will become the third-smallest nation to ever play in the tournament (behind Iceland and fellow 2026 debutants Curacao
), an achievement unthinkable for the Atlantic archipelago a few short years ago.
Built on defensive organisation, diaspora talent and the steady leadership of coach Pedro 'Bubista' Brito, the Blue Sharks have already made history but will be circling for more. They have established an impressive pedigree in AFCON – two-time quarter-finalists, they regularly cause upsets and have lost just once in 12 group games.
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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)
Lesson from qualifying
Show no fear. They saw off African heavyweights Cameroon to reach their first World Cup, thanks to a decisive 1-0 home win last September. A rollercoaster 3-3 draw away to Libya in the penultimate qualifier set nerves jangling but in front of a raucous crowd in the capital Praia, Cape Verde beat Eswatini 3-0.
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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June 06, 2026: Cape Verde 3-0 Bermuda, Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, Connecticut, United States
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May 31, 2026: Cape Verde 3-0 Serbia , Estádio do Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal
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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
Group H standings
Cape Verde are in Group H at World Cup 2026.
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
Bubistahas taken Cape Verde to three major tournaments in his time as manager since taking over in 2020.
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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 Mendesis both Cape Verde's most capped player, and their 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.
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