As an archipelago with around half a million inhabitants and only 4,000 square kilometres in land area, Cabo Verde’s achievement of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26™ represents a historic milestone.
Having only been made independent in 1975, the Cabo Verde national team’s journey began a few years later in 1978. In the decades since, as the teams and players involved have continued to gain experience, their ambition has only grown.
The nation’s qualification for their inaugural World Cup shows the strength of a footballing culture that unites the country and its vast diaspora – in recent years, descendants from diverse backgrounds have begun to get involved in the project, in what has been a national mobilisation revolving around football.
Under Bubista’s leadership, the coaching team have managed to build a well-balanced team and a changing room environment with a powerful chemistry.
Consistency and a competitive mindset were key components of Cabo Verde’s successful CAF qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup 26, which bore the fruits of a long-term project.
There were promising signs in previous campaigns, despite not managing to get over the line. In their qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, for example, they fought a fierce battle with Nigeria – one of the powerhouses of African football – but were ultimately eliminated in the last match of the group phase, their fate sealed with a 1-1 draw in Lagos.
Some of the names in that side – the likes of captain Ryan Mendes, goalkeeper Vozinha and defender Roberto Lopes – are still key members of this successful team four years on.
Their success comes from a combination of players, coaching staff and fans, all coming together to put Cabo Verde on the map of world football. They will be travelling to North America next year with an inspirational story, looking to defy the odds once again.
Cabo Verde coach: Bubista
Pedro Leitao Brito, better known as Bubista, is synonymous with leadership in Cabo Verdean football. A former captain and defender for the national team, Bubista crafted a career as a player that took him to clubs in Angola, Spain and Portugal.
He has always displayed excellent tactical nous and is a strong believer in the importance of team spirit, and the transition from player to coach seemed to come naturally to him. When he took on the role of head coach in 2020, his mission was to take the Blue Sharks to heights he could only dream of as a player.
Cabo Verde have enjoyed a meteoric rise under Bubista’s leadership, culminating in their historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The head coach brought an identity to the national team that is based on being hard to beat. Throughout their successful qualification campaign, his side showed strong defensive organisation, discipline, tactical versatility and a very strong ability to counter-attack.
This Cabo Verde side have continued to gain momentum and confidence on their way to writing one of the most exciting chapters in African football history.
Cabo Verde’s World Cup 26 fixtures and group
Cabo Verde will discover their group-stage opponents when the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26 takes place at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC from 12:00 local time (16:00 in Praia) on Friday, 5 December.
How Cabo Verde qualified for World Cup 26
Cabo Verde’s excellent home form – five wins in five without conceding a single goal – was pivotal in booking their place at the World Cup. It comes as no great surprise, therefore, that they secured their qualification in Praia – a 3-0 win against Eswatini in their tenth and final qualifier was enough to guarantee their place in the draw.
The Blue Sharks topped a difficult group in qualifying, overcoming historically strong teams like Cameroon and Angola. Cameroon finished below them in second place, but Cabo Verde had amassed a four-point lead at the top of the group.
