CORNERFLICK
GK
Cape Verde
- 69FIFA ranking
- 2ndFIFA World Cup 2026 position3 pts · 3 played
- 0W 3D 1LFIFA World Cup 2026 record(Group H)
- 26Squadplayers on the roster
- Rui ÁguasManager
Tournament snapshot — FIFA World Cup 2026
View full standings →Group H
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Spain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +5 | 7 |
| 2 |  Cape Verde Islands | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 |  Uruguay | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
| 4 |  Saudi Arabia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -4 | 2 |
Quick facts
- Manager
Rui Águas- Home stadium
- Various (national team)
- FIFA ranking
- 69
Team card
Cape Verde
- 69FIFA ranking
- 2ndFIFA World Cup 2026 position
- 0W 3D 1LFIFA World Cup 2026 record
- 26Squad
Similar teams
View all →Road to 2026
- Group H: 0W 3D 1L from 4
- Currently 2nd in Group H on 3 pts
- Form: L D D D
- Round of 32
Recent results
View all →// the campaign
Cape Verde at the FIFA World Cup 2026
Group H →Fixtures & results
Group H table
// unavailable
Cape Verde — out and suspended
Full tracker →- outS. Lopes CabralYellow Card
Latest news
View all news →
The record
1 — debut
WC appearances
QF — 2013, 2023
AFCON best
~525,000
Population
#69
FIFA Ranking
01 · The Dossier — The Soul
Ten islands.
One impossible dream.
Cape Verde is an archipelago of half a million people scattered off West Africa — and one of the smallest nations ever to reach a World Cup. Its team, drawn from a vast diaspora, is a story of identity made real.
Ten islands+The diaspora+Morabeza spirit+History made
The AtlanticTubarões AzuisThe diasporaMorabezaBo Kaboverdi
There are more Cape Verdeans abroad than on the islands themselves, and the national team reflects it — talent born in Portugal, the Netherlands, France and beyond, all choosing the Blue Sharks. Football binds a scattered people into one.
Quarter-finalists at the 2013 and 2023 AFCON, Cape Verde steadily built belief — and then did the unthinkable, qualifying for a first-ever World Cup. Drawn with Spain and Uruguay in Group H, they are massive underdogs. But simply being here is one of the tournament's defining stories.
02 · The Cabinet — Honours
The breakthrough
No silverware — but giant-killing AFCON runs and the greatest achievement in the islands' sporting history.
05 · The Hero — The Discovery
Pico Lopes
His Cape Verde career began with a tweet — the federation tracked down Roberto 'Pico' Lopes, a defender playing in Ireland, through social media to check his heritage. He became a mainstay of the Blue Sharks.
His story captures Cape Verde's whole project: a team assembled from a scattered diaspora, every player a thread connecting the islands to the world.
From a Shamrock Rovers defender found online to a World Cup debutant, Pico Lopes embodies how a nation of half a million reached the sport's biggest stage.
// The Blue Sharks greats
02
Ryan Mendes
The long-serving talisman
03
Stopira
The record-capped captain
04
Logan Costa
The modern defensive rock
PICO
Roberto 'Pico' Lopes
🐦
Found via Twitter
🇮🇪
Shamrock Rovers
🦈
The defender
06 · Threat Assessment
⚠ HOSTILE · THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
The enemy
A debutant's group of giants: Spain and Uruguay first, a Saudi Arabia decider last. Cape Verde are the smallest side here — but they've already beaten the longest odds just by arriving.
Spain — the European championsMAXIMUM
Uruguay — the brutal Matchday 2HIGH
Squad depth as an island nationREAL
Nobody expects points from Cape Verde. But a nation of half a million is already living its greatest sporting story — and the Saudi finale offers a shot at something more.
The story so far
// the long climb
// Group H — the field
Spain
GROUP H
The reigning European champions — the daunting opener in Atlanta.
Uruguay
GROUP H
Bielsa's relentless side — a brutal Matchday 2 in Miami.
Saudi Arabia
GROUP H
The Asian giant-killers — the Houston finale, and Cape Verde's best chance of a point.
07 · The Talisman
Lightning rod
He has carried the Blue Sharks for over a decade. Cape Verde's hopes of a competitive World Cup debut rest on the experience and quality of captain-in-spirit Ryan Mendes.
MENDES
The long-time talismanEurope-honedThe creatorThe diaspora's pride
🎯
The talisman
80+
Caps
№10
The leader
A symbol of the diaspora generation that built this team, leading the Blue Sharks onto the grandest stage. “Cape Verde's debut runs through him.”
The Debut Meter
// outclassed, or a fairytale point?
Honoured to be hereA point against the odds
Current reading
The grand arrival
Drawn with Spain and Uruguay, Cape Verde faces a brutal introduction. Simply competing with pride is the realistic measure of success.
08 · Key Power · World Cup 2026
LOGAN COSTA
The rock · Villarreal · No. 4
Against Spain and Uruguay, Cape Verde will defend for its life — and Logan Costa is the man it leans on. A composed, athletic centre-back playing in La Liga, he gives the Blue Sharks a defender of genuine top-flight quality. If Cape Verde keeps a giant at bay and steals a result, it starts at the back with him.
🛡️
The rock
25
Age at the World Cup
№4
Villarreal
The last line of the file
Half a million people.
Scattered across the sea.
And they reached the world.
Tubarões AzuisThe diasporaGroup HDebutantsBo Kaboverdi
Manager
Rui Águas
PT · View profile →
Added