Cape Verde national football team

Cape Verde
Nickname(s)	Tubarões Azuis; (Blue Sharks); Crioulos (Creoles)
Association	Federação Caboverdiana de Futebol (FCF)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Bubista
Captain	Ryan Mendes
Most caps	Ryan Mendes (96)
Top scorer	Ryan Mendes (22)
Home stadium	Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde
FIFA code	CPV
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	69 2 (1 April 2026)
Highest	27 (February 2014)
Lowest	182 (April 2000)
First international
	Cape Verde 0–1 Guinea ; (Guinea-Bissau; 19 April 1978)
Biggest win
	Cape Verde 7–1 São Tomé and Príncipe ; (Praia, Cape Verde; 13 June 2015); Liechtenstein 0–6 Cape Verde ; (San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain; 25 March 2022)
Biggest defeat
	Senegal 5–1 Cape Verde ; (Mali; 12 February 1981); Cape Verde 0–4 Ghana ; (Praia, Cape Verde; 8 October 2005); Guinea 4–0 Cape Verde ; (Conakry, Guinea; 9 September 2007); Burkina Faso 4–0 Cape Verde ; (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 14 November 2017); Algeria 5–1 Cape Verde ; (Constantine, Algeria; 12 October 2023)
World Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2026)
Best result	TBD (2026)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	4 (first in 2013)
Best result	Quarter-finals (2013, 2023)

The Cape Verde national football team (Portuguese: Seleção nacional de futebol de Cabo Verde; recognized as Cabo Verde by FIFA^[4]) represents Cape Verde in men's international football, and is controlled by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. The team is nicknamed Tubarões Azuis (Blue Sharks in Portuguese). The national team played its first match on 19 April 1978 against Guinea, a match they lost 1–0. Following the federation's affiliation with the Confederation of African Football and FIFA in 1982, the national team entered Africa Cup of Nations qualification for the first time in 1992 and made its first FIFA World Cup qualification appearance in 2003. The team is coached by Pedro Leitão Brito.

Also known as "Creoles" (Portuguese: "Crioulos"), Cape Verde plays the majority of its home matches at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde. They qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time 2013. Since then, they also appeared in the 2015, 2021 and 2023 tournaments, reaching the quarter-finals in 2013 and 2023.

Cape Verde qualified to the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2026. By doing so, they became the smallest country by land area and the second least populated (after Iceland) to qualify for the World Cup, with a land area of 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 sq mi) and a population of just under 525,000 until Curaçao broke their land area and population records five weeks later when they qualified for the same tournament.^[5]^[6]

History

Cape Verde became independent from Portugal in 1975. The national team's first international was a 1–0 defeat to Guinea on 29 May 1978, in a tournament in Guinea-Bissau.^[7] The Cape Verdean Football Federation was formed in 1982, and joined FIFA in 1986.^[8]

On 2 November 2002, Cape Verde faced a non-African team for the first time, in a scoreless friendly against Luxembourg.

Cape Verdeans abroad, who are more numerous than the population of the islands themselves, are a major source of players for the national team. Most of Cape Verde's current international footballers play outside Cape Verde (mainly in Europe, but also in Asia), and some were born outside the islands.^[9]

On 24 May 2010, Cape Verde played out a 0–0 draw in a friendly match against a full-strength Portugal.^[10] At the time, Portugal was third in the FIFA rankings and Cape Verde were 117th.^[11]

Their first World Cup qualifying campaign was for the 2002 tournament, in which Cape Verde was eliminated in the first round after one draw and a defeat against Algeria.^[12] In the qualification campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Cape Verde advanced to the final round after their first victory in a World Cup qualifier, beating Swaziland. In the final round, the team made an impression with its first-ever away victory against Burkina Faso, but finished fifth in its group and failed to qualify for either tournament.^[12]

On 4 September 2009, Cape Verde faced Malta in a friendly, resulting in a 2–0 victory.

Old coach João de Deus from Portugal brought in several new players from European leagues for the World Cup and AFCON qualifiers.^[9] Cape Verde finished second in its group in the second round, ahead of Tanzania and Mauritius, but behind Cameroon, and did not advance to the third round. Then, Cape Verde made their AFCON debut in 2013, after stunning Cameroon 3–2 on aggregate, following a 2–1 defeat at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaoundé, having won the home leg 2–0 in Praia.

Cape Verde were drawn into Group A of the finals, alongside Angola, Morocco and the host nation South Africa; they played the opening match of the tournament at Soccer City in Johannesburg, Gauteng, against the hosts on 19 January 2013. Pulled from the fourth pot during the group stage drawing of the tournament, Cape Verde actually had the highest FIFA ranking of any team in their group at the time of the drawing, ranking at 51st overall, followed by Morocco (71st), South Africa (72nd) and Angola (83rd).

Cape Verde drew with South Africa 0–0 in the tournament's first match, before drawing with Morocco 1–1. Platini scored Cape Verde's first ever goal at the AFCON, before they won their first ever AFCON match against Angola, 2–1 (despite an early own goal by captain Nando Maria Neves), reaching the quarter-finals.

On 2 February 2013, Cape Verde faced Ghana in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, registering 16 shots on Ghana's goal to their eight, with seven shots on target to their two. Ghana eventually knocked Cape Verde out.^[13]

On 15 October 2014, Cape Verde became the first of two nations to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Algeria, joining the host nation Equatorial Guinea after defeating Mozambique 1–0 at home.^[14] The team, under newly appointed manager Rui Águas, picked up where Lúcio Antunes left off and managed to finish in the top two of the group stage with two matches remaining to play in the qualification process, having been drawn in a group together with Mozambique, Niger and Zambia.^[15] On 15 November 2014, Cape Verde secured first place in their group, finishing as Group F winners by defeating Niger 3–1 at home, with one match remaining to play for qualification.^[16]

Cape Verde were drawn into Group B of the final tournament, together with Zambia, Tunisia and DR Congo. On 18 January 2015 they played their first match against Tunisia at the Estadio de Ebibeyin. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Héldon leveling the score off a penalty kick in the 78th minute. Cape Verde then drew 0–0 against DR Congo four days later, with their group stage placement depending on the final match results of both teams.^[17] Facing off against Zambia on 26 January, the match ended in 0–0 draw, leaving both Cape Verde and Zambia eliminated from the Cup.^[18] Contested during a tropical storm, with 26 mm (1.0 in) of rainfall, Cape Verde exited the tournament tied with DR Congo for points and undefeated, finishing behind them on goal difference.^[19]

On 31 March 2015, Cape Verde won 2–0 against Portugal at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota in Estoril.^[20]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Cape Verde	3	2	1	0	7	3	+4	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Egypt	3	0	3	0	6	6	0	3	Advance to knockout stage
3	Ghana	3	0	2	1	5	6	−1	2^[a]
4	Mozambique	3	0	2	1	4	7	−3	2^[a]

Source: CAF
Notes:

1 2 Tied on head-to-head points. Overall goal difference: Ghana −1, Mozambique −3.

Cape Verde qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and were drawn into Group B. They defeated Ghana 2–1 in the first group stage match when Garry Rodrigues scored a late match-winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time. In their second match, Cape Verde defeated Mozambique 3-0. This result, along with others in the group, meant that Cape Verde entered the final group match already having secured passage to the knockout stage as the winners of Group B. In the last group stage match, Cape Verde faced Egypt. After the Egypt had scored a go-ahead stoppage time goal, Bryan Teixeira equalised deep into stoppage time to secure a 2–2 draw. In the Round of 16, Cape Verde faced Mauritania, and captain Ryan Mendes scored a crucial penalty late in the second half to send them to the quarter-finals, where Cape Verde faced South Africa. The match ended in a goalless draw after 120 minutes, thus sending it to penalties. Cape Verde were knocked out of the tournament after failing to convert four of their five penalty kicks, losing the shootout 1–2.

Cape Verde qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after winning their qualifying group in October 2025.^[6]

Kit history

Kit manufacturer

Kit providers	Period
Adidas	1978–1992
Duarig	1992–1993
Saillev	1994–2001
Tepa	2002–2007
Erreà	2008–2009
KS Sport	2010–2011
Adidas	2012
Tepa	2013
Hummel	2014-2015
Lacatoni	2016–2017
Adidas	2018–2021
Tempo Sport	2022–2026
Capelli Sport	2026–present

Stadiums

The national team played at Estádio da Várzea in Praia, on Santiago Island. The stadium reopened in 2006 and has a capacity of 8,000.

Currently, the team plays the majority of its home matches at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde. The Tubarões Azuis matches have also been held at the 5,000-seat Adérito Sena Municipal Stadium in Mindelo.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Win Draw Loss Fixture

2025

20 March 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier	Cape Verde	1–0	Mauritius	Praia, Cape Verde
17:00	Semedo 84'	Report		Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Yannick Malala Kabanga (DR Congo)

25 March 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier	Angola	1–2	Cape Verde	Luanda, Angola
17:00	Dala 50'	Report	Livramento 45+2', 63'	Stadium: Estádio 11 de Novembro Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)

29 May Friendly	Malaysia	0–3 Awarded^[a]	Cape Verde	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
21:00 UTC+8		Report		Stadium: Kuala Lumpur Stadium Attendance: 10,708 Referee: Mongkolchai Pechhri (Thailand)

3 June Closed-Door Friendly¹	Malaysia	0–3	Cape Verde	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
21:00 UTC+8		Report	Livramento 35, 48' H. Tavares 55'	Stadium: Bukit Jalil National Stadium Attendance: 0

8 June Friendly	Georgia	1–1	Cape Verde	Kutaisi, Georgia
	Lobzhanidze 45+1'	Report	R. Mendes 78'	Stadium: Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Referee: Henrik Nalbandyan (Armenia)

4 September 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier	Mauritius	0–2	Cape Verde	Saint Pierre, Mauritius
20:00 UTC+4		Report	Cabral 22' Diney 70'	Stadium: Côte d'Or National Sports Complex Referee: Mohamed Diraneh Guedi (Djibouti)

9 September 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier	Cape Verde	1–0	Cameroon	Praia, Cape Verde
	Livramento 54'	Report		Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Daniel Nii Laryea (Ghana)

8 October 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier	Libya	3–3	Cape Verde	Tripoli, Libya
15:00 UTC+2	Pico 1' (o.g.) El Maremi 42' Al-Shalui 58'	Report	Arcanjo 29' S. Cabral 76' W. Semedo 82'	Stadium: Tripoli Stadium Referee: Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail (Sudan)

13 October 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier	Cape Verde	3–0	Eswatini	Praia, Cape Verde
15:00 UTC−1	Livramento 48' W. Semedo 54' Stopira 90+1'	Report		Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Ahmed Arajiga (Tanzania)

13 November 2025 Al Ain International Cup semi-final	Iran	0–0 (5–4 p)	Cape Verde	Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4		Report		Stadium: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Referee: Mohamed Al-Harmoodi (United Arab Emirates)
	Penalties
	Noorafkan Alipour Mohebi Ezatolahi Taremi		Rodrigues Diney Moreira Duarte Arcanjo

17 November 2025 Al Ain International Cup third place match	Cape Verde	1–1 (0–2 p)	Egypt	Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
17:00	Rodrigues 7' (pen.)	Report	Marmoush 57'	Stadium: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Attendance: 2,300 Referee: Rawdha Al Mansoori (United Arab Emirates)
	Penalties
	Diney Monteiro Pina Mendes		Marmoush Abdelmaguid Hamdy Faisal

2026

27 March 2026 FIFA Series	Chile	4–2	Cape Verde	Auckland, New Zealand
16:00 UTC+13	Brereton Díaz 16' M. Gutiérrez 58' Loyola 67' Tapia 79'	Report	D. Livramento 21' Diney 43' S. Cabral 45+3'	Stadium: Eden Park Referee: Calvin Berg (New Zealand)

30 March 2026 FIFA Series	Cape Verde	1–1 (4–2 p)	Finland	Auckland, New Zealand
16:00 UTC+13	Pires 67'	Report	Skyttä 45+4'	Stadium: Eden Park Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (New Zealand)
	Penalties
	S. Cabral J. Cabral K. Pina Da Costa R. Mendes		Walta Valakari Keskinen Oksanen

31 May Friendly	Cape Verde	v	Serbia	Lisbon, Portugal
				Stadium: Estádio do Restelo

15 June 2026 FIFA World Cup GS (Group H)	Spain	v	Cape Verde	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
12:00 UTC−4		Report		Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium

21 June 2026 FIFA World Cup GS (Group H)	Uruguay	v	Cape Verde	Miami Gardens, Florida, United States
18:00 UTC−4		Report		Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium

26 June 2026 FIFA World Cup GS (Group H)	Cape Verde	v	Saudi Arabia	Houston, Texas, United States
19:00 UTC−5		Report		Stadium: NRG Stadium

Notes

¹ Non FIFA 'A' international match

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Carlos Alhinho (1985–1986)
Óscar (1998–2003)^[21]
Alexandre Alhinho (2003–2006)^[22]
Ze Rui (2006)^[23]^[24]
Ricardo da Rocha (2007)^[24]^[25]
João de Deus (2008–2010)^[26]
Lúcio Antunes (2010–2013)^[27]
Rui Águas (2014–2016)^[28]
Beto (2016)
Lúcio Antunes (2016–2018)
Rui Águas (2018–2019)
Janito Carvalho (2019–2020)
Bubista (2020–present)

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and for the pre-tournament friendly match against Serbia on 31 May 2026.^[29]
Caps and goals correct as of 30 March 2026, after the match against Finland.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Vozinha (vice-captain)	(1986-06-03) 3 June 1986 (age 39)	85	0	Chaves
1GK	Márcio Rosa	(1997-02-23) 23 February 1997 (age 29)	10	0	Montana
1GK	CJ dos Santos	(2000-08-24) 24 August 2000 (age 25)	0	0	San Diego

2DF	Stopira	(1988-05-20) 20 May 1988 (age 38)	60	4	Torreense
2DF	Pico	(1992-06-17) 17 June 1992 (age 33)	44	0	Shamrock Rovers
2DF	João Paulo	(1998-05-26) 26 May 1998 (age 27)	40	1	FCSB
2DF	Diney	(1995-01-17) 17 January 1995 (age 31)	29	2	Al Bataeh
2DF	Logan Costa	(2001-04-01) 1 April 2001 (age 25)	26	0	Villarreal
2DF	Steven Moreira	(1994-08-13) 13 August 1994 (age 31)	18	0	Columbus Crew
2DF	Wagner Pina	(2002-11-03) 3 November 2002 (age 23)	12	0	Trabzonspor
2DF	Sidny Lopes Cabral	(2003-09-18) 18 September 2003 (age 22)	8	3	Benfica
2DF	Kelvin Pires	(2000-06-05) 5 June 2000 (age 25)	4	1	SJK

3MF	Jamiro Monteiro	(1993-11-23) 23 November 1993 (age 32)	53	5	PEC Zwolle
3MF	Kevin Pina	(1997-01-27) 27 January 1997 (age 29)	30	2	Krasnodar
3MF	Deroy Duarte	(1999-07-04) 4 July 1999 (age 26)	30	0	Ludogorets Razgrad
3MF	Telmo Arcanjo	(2001-06-21) 21 June 2001 (age 24)	14	1	Vitória de Guimarães
3MF	Laros Duarte	(1997-02-28) 28 February 1997 (age 29)	12	0	Puskás Akadémia
3MF	Yannick Semedo	(1995-12-29) 29 December 1995 (age 30)	10	1	Farense

4FW	Ryan Mendes (captain)	(1990-01-08) 8 January 1990 (age 36)	96	22	Iğdır
4FW	Garry Rodrigues (third captain)	(1990-11-27) 27 November 1990 (age 35)	59	9	Apollon Limassol
4FW	Willy Semedo	(1994-04-27) 27 April 1994 (age 32)	36	2	Omonia
4FW	Jovane Cabral	(1998-06-14) 14 June 1998 (age 27)	25	2	Estrela Amadora
4FW	Benchimol	(2001-12-29) 29 December 2001 (age 24)	21	5	Akron Tolyatti
4FW	Dailon Livramento	(2001-05-04) 4 May 2001 (age 25)	20	7	Casa Pia
4FW	Hélio Varela	(2002-05-03) 3 May 2002 (age 24)	19	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv
4FW	Nuno da Costa	(1991-02-10) 10 February 1991 (age 35)	7	1	İstanbul Başakşehir

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Cape Verde in the last 12 months and are still eligible to represent.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Bruno Varela	(1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 31)	8	0	Al-Hazem	v. Egypt, 17 November 2025
GK	Henrique Tavares	(2002-07-29) 29 July 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Rousset	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025

DF	Jorginho Soares	(1999-07-18) 18 July 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Montana	v. Finland, 30 March 2025
DF	Jójó	(2001-05-19) 19 May 2001 (age 25)	5	0	Vizela	v. Egypt, 17 November 2025
DF	David Moreira	(2004-04-18) 18 April 2004 (age 22)	3	0	Sporting B	v. Egypt, 17 November 2025
DF	Ricardo Santos	(1995-06-18) 18 June 1995 (age 30)	2	0	Swansea City	v. Egypt, 17 November 2025
DF	Kristopher Da Graca	(1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 (age 28)	3	0	Krasava Ypsonas	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
DF	Bruno Almeida	(2000-07-02) 2 July 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Atlético	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
DF	Yuran Fernandes	(1994-10-19) 19 October 1994 (age 31)	1	0	PSM Makassar	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
DF	Rivaldo Morais	(2000-09-18) 18 September 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Farense	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025

MF	Jordan Mendes	(2004-03-07) 7 March 2004 (age 22)	1	0	Rodez	v. Finland, 30 March 2025
MF	Ayoni Santos	(2005-07-18) 18 July 2005 (age 20)	1	0	Sparta Rotterdam	v. Finland, 30 March 2025
MF	Aílson Tavares	(1998-07-20) 20 July 1998 (age 27)	4	0	Beitar Jerusalem	v. Egypt, 17 November 2025
MF	Fabrício Garcia	(2001-05-04) 4 May 2001 (age 25)	6	0	Alverca	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
MF	Stéphane Cueni	(2001-03-14) 14 March 2001 (age 25)	2	0	Winterthur	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
MF	Elson Mendes	(2005-09-18) 18 September 2005 (age 20)	2	0	Sochaux	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
MF	Jordan Semedo	(2003-01-15) 15 January 2003 (age 23)	2	0	Slavia Sofia	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
MF	David Costa	(2004-01-12) 12 January 2004 (age 22)	1	0	Paços de Ferreira	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
MF	Ilano Silva Timas	(2002-09-29) 29 September 2002 (age 23)	1	0	MVV	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
MF	Sidnei Tavares	(2001-09-29) 29 September 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Blackburn Rovers	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025

FW	Ieltsin Camões	(1998-04-16) 16 April 1998 (age 28)	1	0	Al Ahly	v. Finland, 30 March 2025
FW	Fabio Domingos	(2007-10-05) 5 October 2007 (age 18)	1	0	Paris Saint-Germain Youth	v. Finland, 30 March 2025
FW	Heriberto Tavares	(1997-02-19) 19 February 1997 (age 29)	6	1	Maccabi Netanya	v. Egypt, 17 November 2025
FW	Alessio da Cruz	(1997-01-18) 18 January 1997 (age 29)	5	0	Anorthosis Famagusta	v. Egypt, 17 November 2025
FW	Bryan Teixeira	(2000-09-01) 1 September 2000 (age 25)	6	1	Žalgiris	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
FW	Duk	(2000-02-16) 16 February 2000 (age 26)	6	0	Leganés	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
FW	Alvin Fortes	(1994-04-25) 25 April 1994 (age 32)	2	0	Selangor	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
FW	Rúben Pina	(2000-01-20) 20 January 2000 (age 26)	2	0	Leixões	v. Georgia, 8 June 2025
^WD Player withdrew from the roster for non-injury related reasons. ^INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury. ^PRE Preliminary squad. ^SUS Suspended from the national team.

Records

As of 30 March 2026^[30]

Players in bold are still active with Cape Verde.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Ryan Mendes	96	22	2010–present
2	Vozinha	87	0	2012–present
3	Babanco	62	5	2007–2019
4	Stopira	60	4	2007–present
4	Garry Rodrigues	60	9	2013–present
6	Jamiro Monteiro	53	5	2016–present
7	Héldon	52	15	2008–2019
	Marco Soares	52	3	2006–2021
	Fernando Varela	52	3	2008–2019
10	Júlio Tavares	48	8	2012–2022

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Ryan Mendes	22	96	0.23	2010–present
2	Héldon	15	52	0.29	2008–2019
3	Caló	11	27	0.41	1995–2007
4	Garry Rodrigues	9	60	0.15	2013–present
5	Júlio Tavares	8	48	0.17	2012–2022
6	Lito	7	47	0.15	2002–2012
6	Dailon Livramento	7	20	0.35	2024–present
8	Toni	6	11	0.55	1992–2003
	Bebé	6	27	0.22	2022–present
	Djaniny	6	35	0.17	2012–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1974	Part of Portugal									Part of Portugal
1978 and 1982	Not a member of FIFA									Not a member of FIFA
1986 to 1998	Did not enter									Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	0	2
2006										12	4	2	6	12	16
2010										6	3	0	3	7	8
2014										6	3	0	3	9	7
2018										8	3	0	5	6	13
2022										6	3	2	1	8	6
2026	Group stage	TBD	0	0	0	0	0	0	Squad	10	7	2	1	16	8
2030	To be determined									To be determined
2034	To be determined									To be determined
Total:1/10	TBD	TBD	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	50	23	7	20	58	60

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1974	Part of Portugal									Part of Portugal
1976 to 1992	Not a member of CAF									Not a member of CAF
1994	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	4
1996	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998	Did not enter									Did not enter
2000	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	0	3
2002										2	0	1	1	1	2
2004										6	3	0	3	9	8
2006										12	4	2	8	11	16
2008										6	1	2	3	3	10
2010										6	3	0	3	7	8
2012										6	3	1	2	7	7
2013	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	2	1	3	4	Squad	4	4	0	0	10	3
2015	Group stage	11th	3	0	3	0	1	1	Squad	6	4	0	2	9	6
2017	Did not qualify									6	3	0	3	10	7
2019	Did not qualify									6	1	2	3	4	5
2021	Round of 16	15th	4	1	1	2	2	4	Squad	6	2	4	0	6	3
2023	Quarter-finals	5th	5	3	2	0	8	3	Squad	6	3	1	2	8	6
2025	Did not qualify									6	1	1	4	3	7
2027	To be determined									To be determined
2029	To be determined									To be determined
Total	Quarter-finals	4/35	16	5	8	3	14	12	—	82	33	15	34	90	95

Record against other nations

As of 29 March 2026 after match against Finland

Positive Record Neutral Record Negative Record

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	% Win	First meeting	Last meeting	Federation
Algeria	6	1	2	3	6	13	−7	16.67%	2000	2023	CAF
Andorra	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1	50%	2018	2020	UEFA
Angola	8	3	3	2	10	9	+1	37.5%	1988	2025	CAF
Bahrain	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100%	2022	2022	AFC
Botswana	2	0	0	2	0	2	–2	0%	2024	2024	CAF
Burkina Faso	9	4	1	4	7	11	–4	44.44%	2004	2023	CAF
Cameroon	9	2	3	4	10	12	–2	22.22%	2008	2025	CAF
Central African Republic	2	1	1	0	3	2	+1	50%	2021	2021	CAF
Chile	1	0	0	1	2	4	–2	0%	2026	2026	CONMEBOL
Comoros	1	0	0	1	1	2	–1	0%	2023	2023	CAF
DR Congo	3	0	2	1	2	3	–1	0%	2004	2015	CAF
Ecuador	1	0	0	1	0	1	–1	0%	2022	2022	CONMEBOL
Egypt	3	0	3	1	4	7	–3	0%	2024	2025	CAF
Equatorial Guinea	4	4	0	0	12	0	+12	100%	2009	2024	CAF
Eswatini	6	4	2	0	10	1	+9	66.67%	2003	2025	CAF
Ethiopia	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%	2022	2022	CAF
Finland	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%	2026	2026	UEFA
Gabon	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%	2013	2013	CAF
Gambia	9	2	3	4	7	13	–6	22.22%	1982	2007	CAF
Georgia	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%	2025	2025	UEFA
Ghana	7	3	0	4	4	10	–6	42.85%	2001	2024	CAF
Guadeloupe	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100%	2022	2022	CONCACAF
Guinea	8	2	2	4	6	10	–4	25.00%	1982	2020	CAF
Guinea-Bissau	13	5	3	5	13	13	0	38.46%	1979	2010	CAF
Guyana	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%	2024	2024	CAF
Iran	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%	2025	2025	AFC
Kenya	4	1	0	3	2	3	–1	25.00%	2002	2015	CAF
Lesotho	2	0	2	0	1	1	0	0%	2018	2019	CAF
Liberia	6	4	0	2	8	7	+1	66.67%	2000	2021	CAF
Libya	4	2	1	1	6	5	+1	50.00%	2015	2025	CAF
Liechtenstein	1	1	0	0	6	0	+6	100%	2022	2022	UEFA
Luxembourg	4	1	3	0	3	1	+2	25.00%	2002	2017	UEFA
Madagascar	2	2	0	0	7	1	+6	100%	2012	2012	CAF
Mali	13	4	3	6	7	15	–8	30.76%	1981	2011	CAF
Mauritania	14	7	3	4	20	12	+8	50.00%	1982	2024	CAF
Mauritius	4	4	0	0	7	1	+6	100%	2008	2025	CAF
Morocco	4	0	2	2	1	4	–3	0%	2013	2023	CAF
Mozambique	5	3	1	1	7	4	+3	60.00%	2014	2024	CAF
Niger	2	2	0	0	6	2	+4	100%	2014	2014	CAF
Nigeria	3	0	2	1	2	3	–1	0%	2013	2021	CAF
Portugal	3	1	1	1	3	4	–1	33.33%	2006	2015	UEFA
Rwanda	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0%	2020	2020	CAF
San Marino	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100%	2022	2022	UEFA
Senegal	20	2	2	16	8	34	–26	10.00%	1979	2022	CAF
Sierra Leone	13	4	2	7	7	14	–7	30.76%	1983	2022	CAF
South Africa	6	2	2	2	6	6	0	33.33%	2004	2024	CAF
Tanzania	4	2	0	2	5	5	0	50.00%	2008	2018	CAF
Togo	5	3	0	2	10	10	0	60.00%	2003	2023	CAF
Tunisia	3	0	1	2	2	6	–4	0%	2012	2015	CAF
Uganda	4	1	0	3	1	3	–2	25.00%	2004	2018	CAF
Zambia	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	33.33%	2014	2015	CAF
Zimbabwe	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1	50.00%	2010	2011	CAF
Total (51)	238	88	57	93	246	264	–18	36.97%	1979	2026	FIFA

Honours

Regional

Amílcar Cabral Cup
- Champions (1): 2000
- Runners-up (1): 2007
- Third place (1): 1995
Lusofonia Games
- Champions (1): 2009
- Third place (1): 2006

Friendly

FIFA Series (1): 2024 Saudi Arabia A

Notes

↑ Due to the Malaysian football naturalisation scandal, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee awarded the match as a 3–0 win to Cape Verde on 17 December 2025 as Malaysia fielded the ineligible players Gabriel Palmero and Hector Hevel. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) were also fined CHF 10,000.

References

↑ "Conheça as alcunhas das 16 seleções finalistas" [Meet the nicknames of the 16 finalists]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 2 February 2013. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
↑ Mamrud, Roberto; Stokkermans, Karel. "Players with 100+ Caps and 30+ International Goals". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". 1 April 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
↑ "Cabo Verde". FIFA. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
↑ Stevens, Rob (13 October 2025). "Cape Verde become second-smallest nation to reach World Cup". BBC. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
1 2 "'Biggest thing since independence' - Cape Verde celebrates World Cup spot". BBC Sport. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
↑ Courtney, Barry (5 June 2006). "Cape Verde Islands – List of International matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
↑ "Cape Verde Islands". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
1 2 "Foreign contingent boost Cape Verde". FIFA. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
↑ "Report: Portugal v Cape Verde Islands – International Friendly – ESPN Soccernet". ESPN. 24 May 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Cape Verde Islands - Men's". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
1 2 "Cape Verde Islands: Profile". FIFA. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
↑ "Ghana vs. Cape Verde Islands 2–0". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
↑ "AFCON 2015 ROUND UP: Algeria, Cape Verde qualify, Zambia & Nigeria revive fortunes and Uganda suffers set back". Kawowo Sports. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
↑ "Rui Águas quer levar seleção à CAN2015". SAPO Desporto. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
↑ "Cape Verde leave it late to crush Niger". SuperSport. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
↑ "Cape Verde hit back to deny Tunisia". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
↑ "Cape Verde Islands 0–0 DR Congo". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
↑ "Afcon 2015: Group B as it happened". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
↑ "Portugal 0 Cape Verde Islands 2". BBC Sport. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
↑ "Futebol: Óscar Duarte na equipa técnica dos Travadores". Sapo Noticias. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
↑ "Cape Verde island coach Alhinho resigns". ESPN Soccernet. Reuters. 5 January 2006. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
↑ "Ze Rui appointed Cape Verde coach". BBC. 3 May 2006. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
1 2 "Cape Verde confirm identity of new coach". BBC. 22 November 2006. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
↑ "De Deus New Cape Verde Coach". MTN Football. 22 November 2006. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2008.
↑ "Soccer federation unaware of national selection coach's alleged exit". Asemana. 25 June 2010. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
↑ "Lúcio Antunes tapped as new national soccer team coach". Asemana. 25 July 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
↑ "Rui Águas é o novo selecionador de Cabo Verde". DN Desporto. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
↑ "Convocados para o Mundial 2026" [Squad for the 2026 World Cup] (in Portuguese). Cape Verdean Football Federation. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
↑ "Cape Verde". National Football Teams.

External links

[table_hth_GHA0.82017490073115-21] 1 2 Tied on head-to-head points. Overall goal difference: Ghana −1, Mozambique −3.

[MASvCPV-22] Due to the Malaysian football naturalisation scandal, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee awarded the match as a 3–0 win to Cape Verde on 17 December 2025 as Malaysia fielded the ineligible players Gabriel Palmero and Hector Hevel. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) were also fined CHF 10,000.

[1] "Conheça as alcunhas das 16 seleções finalistas" [Meet the nicknames of the 16 finalists]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 2 February 2013. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2013.

[2] Mamrud, Roberto; Stokkermans, Karel. "Players with 100+ Caps and 30+ International Goals". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2011.

[FIFA_World_Rankings-3] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". 1 April 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.

[4] "Cabo Verde". FIFA. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

[5] Stevens, Rob (13 October 2025). "Cape Verde become second-smallest nation to reach World Cup". BBC. Retrieved 13 October 2025.

[bbc-6] 1 2 "'Biggest thing since independence' - Cape Verde celebrates World Cup spot". BBC Sport. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.

[7] Courtney, Barry (5 June 2006). "Cape Verde Islands – List of International matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2010.

[8] "Cape Verde Islands". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2010.

[FIFA1-9] 1 2 "Foreign contingent boost Cape Verde". FIFA. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2010.

[10] "Report: Portugal v Cape Verde Islands – International Friendly – ESPN Soccernet". ESPN. 24 May 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.

[11] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Associations - Cape Verde Islands - Men's". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2018.

[FIFA2-12] 1 2 "Cape Verde Islands: Profile". FIFA. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2010.

[13] "Ghana vs. Cape Verde Islands 2–0". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.

[14] "AFCON 2015 ROUND UP: Algeria, Cape Verde qualify, Zambia & Nigeria revive fortunes and Uganda suffers set back". Kawowo Sports. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2014.

[15] "Rui Águas quer levar seleção à CAN2015". SAPO Desporto. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.

[16] "Cape Verde leave it late to crush Niger". SuperSport. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.

[17] "Cape Verde hit back to deny Tunisia". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.

[18] "Cape Verde Islands 0–0 DR Congo". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.

[19] "Afcon 2015: Group B as it happened". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.

[20] "Portugal 0 Cape Verde Islands 2". BBC Sport. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.

[23] "Futebol: Óscar Duarte na equipa técnica dos Travadores". Sapo Noticias. 8 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2014.

[24] "Cape Verde island coach Alhinho resigns". ESPN Soccernet. Reuters. 5 January 2006. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2010.

[25] "Ze Rui appointed Cape Verde coach". BBC. 3 May 2006. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2010.

[BBC1-26] 1 2 "Cape Verde confirm identity of new coach". BBC. 22 November 2006. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2010.

[27] "De Deus New Cape Verde Coach". MTN Football. 22 November 2006. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2008.

[28] "Soccer federation unaware of national selection coach's alleged exit". Asemana. 25 June 2010. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2010.

[29] "Lúcio Antunes tapped as new national soccer team coach". Asemana. 25 July 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2010.

[30] "Rui Águas é o novo selecionador de Cabo Verde". DN Desporto. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2014.

[31] "Convocados para o Mundial 2026" [Squad for the 2026 World Cup] (in Portuguese). Cape Verdean Football Federation. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.

[32] "Cape Verde". National Football Teams.

[4]