TEAM SCHEDULE AT THE WORLD CUP
1 appearance. Best finish: Debut.
Cape Verde is a 2026 World Cup debutant — one of the smallest countries in the history of football to qualify for the tournament. Cape Verde is the third-least populated country at the tournament (525,000 people) and second-smallest by land area (4,033 km²). At the 2026 World Cup, Cape Verde plays in Group H against Uruguay, Spain, and Saudi Arabia. Head coach Bubista (full name: Pedro Brito) is a former national team player. The leaders: Ryan Mendes, Gilson Dala, Deroy Duarte.
Cape Verde is an archipelago of islands 600 kilometers off the coast of Senegal — a former Portuguese colony that gained independence in 1975. The football federation was founded in 1982 and joined FIFA in 1986. The best result before 2026 was the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal. At the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, the team sensationally reached the quarterfinal, beating Mauritania 1:0 and drawing 0:0 with Egypt. Coach Bubista built the team on the Creole diaspora — most players were born or live in Portugal, the Netherlands, or France.
Qualifying was a historic miracle. On October 13, 2025, Cape Verde beat Eswatini 3:0 in Praia — and qualified for its first World Cup. Eighty percent of the capital's population took to the streets. Bubista wept live on air. In Group H the team is the outsider against Spain and Uruguay. Matches are in Atlanta (the opener on June 15 against Spain), Miami, and Houston. The goal: score at least one World Cup goal and deliver the biggest event in Cape Verde's 50 years of independence.
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