Cape Verde World Cup 2026 squad: Bubista's latest selection ahead of historic World Cup bow

The Cape Verde World Cup 2026 squad will be one of several debutants at the summer tournament.

Cape Verde is made up of a collection of islands in the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of just 525,000, Cape Verde is the third-smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup. Only Curacao and Iceland have fewer citizens.

They missed out on the Africa Cup of Nations but will be determined to impresss at World Cup 2026 despite having one of the mosgt inexperienced squads at the tournament.

Their group stage will begin with a game against Spain, one of the tournament favourites, before they take on Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Miami and Houston respectively.

Cape Verde will bring some extraordinary stories to the World Cup, including that of Roberto Lopes, who was born in Ireland and plies his trade for Shamrock Rovers. He was contacted via LinkedIn and has been a regular since 2019.

Head coach Bubista named a cosmopolitan squad for the March friendlies against Chile and Finland. There are players operating in Bulgaria and Hungary, Russia and Romania, Egypt, France, the Netherlands, Cyprus and more.

Only teenage Paris Saint-Germain Youth striker Fabio Domingos is on the books of any of Europe's top five leagues.

Squad

Cape Verde World Cup 2026 squad: The March selection

• GK: Vozinha (Chaves)
• GK: Marcio Rosa (Montana)
• GK: CJ dos Santos (San Diego)
• DF: Pico (Shamrock Rovers)
• DF: Diney (Al Bataeh)
• DF: Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew)
• DF: Wagner Pina (Trabzonspor)
• DF: Sidny Lopes Cabral (Benfica)
• DF: Kelvin Pires (SJK)
• DF: Jordan Mendes (Rodez)
• DF: Jorginho Soares (Montana)
• MF: Joao Paulo (FCSB)
• MF: Deroy Duarte (Ludogorets Razgrad)
• MF: Kevin Pina Lenini (Krasnodar)
• MF: Telmo Arcanjo (Vitoria de Guimaraes)
• MF: Laros Duarte (Puskas Akademia)
• MF: Yannick Semedo (Farense)
• MF: Ayoni Santos (Sparta Rotterdam)
• FW: Ryan Mendes (Igdir)
• FW: Garry Rodrigues (Apollon Limassol)
• FW: Willy Semedo (Omonia)
• FW: Jovane Cabral (Estrela Amadora)
• FW: Dailon Livramento (Casa Pia)
• FW: Nuno da Costa (Istanbul Basaksehir)
• FW: Ieltsin Camoes (Al Ahly)
• FW: Fabio Domingos (Paris Saint-Germain Youth)

Fixtures

• June 15, 2026: Spain vs Cape Verde, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, United States
• June 21, 2026: Uruguay vs Cape Verde, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States
• June 27, 2026: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia, NRG Stadium, Houston, United States

Recent Results

• March 30, 2026: Cape Verde 1-1 Finland, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
• March 27, 2026: Chile 4-2 Cape Verde, Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
• November 17, 2025: Egypt 1-1 Cape Verde (2-0 pens), Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, UAE
• November 13, 2025: Iran 0-0 Cape Verde (5-4 pens), Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, UAE
• October 13, 2025: Cape Verde 3-0 Eswatini, Stade National, Praia, Cape Verde
• October 08, 2025: Libya 3-3 Cape Verde, 11 June Stadium, Tripoli, Libya
• September 09, 2025: Cape Verde 1-0 Cameroon, Stade National, Praia, Cape Verde
• September 04, 2025: Mauritius 0-2 Cape Verde, Cote d'Or National Sports Complex, Saint Pierre, Mauritius
• June 08, 2025: Georgia 1-1 Cape Verde, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia
• May 29, 2025: Malaysia 0-3 Cape Verde (Awarded), Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• March 25, 2025: Angola 1-2 Cape Verde, Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola
• March 20, 2025: Cape Verde 1-0 Mauritius, Stade National, Praia, Cape Verde

Manager

Who is Cape Verde's manager?

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 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.

Best XI