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Cape Verde national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Cape Verde women's national football team.

Cape Verde
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Tubarões Azuis
(Blue Sharks)[1]
Crioulos (Creoles)
AssociationFederação Caboverdiana de Futebol (FCF)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationWAFU (West Africa)
Head coachBubista
CaptainRyan Mendes
Most capsRyan Mendes (84)
Top scorerRyan Mendes (21)[2]
Home stadiumEstádio Nacional de Cabo Verde
FIFA codeCPV
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 72 Decrease 7 (24 October 2024)[3]
Highest27 (February 2014)
Lowest182 (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)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances4 (first in 2013)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2013, 2023)

The Cape Verde national football team (Portuguese: Seleção nacional de futebol de Cabo Verde; recognized as Cabo Verde by FIFA[5]) represents Cape Verde in men's international football, and is controlled by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but has qualified for four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, in 2013, 2015, 2021 and 2023. The team achieved their best result in 2023 after making it past the first round of the knockout stage.

History

[edit]

Overview

[edit]

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.[6] The Cape Verdean Football Federation was formed in 1982, and joined FIFA in 1986.[7]

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.[8]

Several players of Cape Verdean origin have chosen to play for other national teams. These include Eliseu, Nani, Oceano, Manuel Fernandes, Rolando, Nélson Marcos, Jorge Andrade, Miguel and Silvestre Varela, who all represent Portugal, as well as Mickaël Tavares, Jacques and Ricardo Faty (Senegal), Patrick Vieira (France), Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland), Henrik Larsson (Sweden), David Mendes da Silva, Lerin Duarte, Jerson Cabral (Netherlands) and Rui (Equatorial Guinea), among other examples.

World Cup and African Nations Cup qualifiers

[edit]

Cape Verde has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup but have qualified for the 2013 African Cup of Nations. Its first World Cup qualifying campaign was the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, in which Cape Verde was eliminated in the first round after one draw and one defeat against Algeria.[9]

In the qualification campaign for the 2006 World Cup and the 2006 African Nations Cup, Cape Verde advanced to the Final Round after its 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 finals.[9]

Old coach João de Deus from Portugal brought in several new players from European leagues for the 2010 World Cup/2010 African Nations Cup qualifiers.[8] 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. Cape Verde's top goal scorer of the qualifying campaign was Dady.

Then, finally, Cape Verde qualified for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, after stunning Cameroon 3–2 on aggregate.

2013 Africa Cup of Nations

[edit]

On 14 October 2012, Cape Verde managed to secure their first ever berth in the Finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, when they defeated Cameroon 3–2 on aggregate score, following a 2–1 defeat to Cameroon at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaoundé, having won the home leg 2–0 in Praia just weeks prior to their qualification.

On 24 October 2012, Cape Verde were drawn into Group A of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, alongside Angola, Morocco and the host nation South Africa. Furthermore, Cape Verde played the opening match of the tournament at Soccer City in Johannesburg, Gauteng, against South Africa on 19 January 2013 – Soccer City being the host venue for the 2010 World Cup Final. 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 also had the 10th highest FIFA ranking in the CAF zone at the time of the drawing as well.

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, who were unfortunate to let an early lead slip. They however did win their first ever AFCON match against Angola, which they won 2–1 (despite an early own goal by captain Nando Maria Neves), through the late goals from Fernando Varela and Héldon Ramos, thus qualifying for the quarter-finals, and thus reaching the last eight in their maiden appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

On 2 February 2013, Cape Verde faced Ghana in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, in the quarter-finals of the tournament. Cape Verde played a good match, with 16 shots on Ghana's goal to their eight, with seven shots on target to their two, Cape Verde proved to be especially dangerous from set-pieces, however Ghana's keeper Abdul Dauda managed to keep a clean sheet making some spectacular saves, and with Mubarak Wakaso scoring a penalty kick for Ghana in the 54' minute, and then scoring again in the closing minute of the game (90+5') on an open goal, Ghana would win the match 2–0, to move on to the semi-finals, and ending Cape Verde's exceptional 2013 Africa Cup of Nations campaign.[10]

2015 Africa Cup of Nations

[edit]

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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

Pooled from Pot 3 on 3 December 2014, 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 78-minute. Cape Verde then drew 0–0 against DR Congo four days later, with the advancement out of the group stage depending on the final match results of both teams.[14]

Facing off against Zambia on 26 January 2015, with both teams depending on the result of the other match between Tunisia and DR Congo and having to finish with a win themselves, the match ended in 0–0 draw, leaving both Cape Verde and Zambia eliminated from the Cup.[15] Contested during a tropical storm, with 26 mm of heavy rainfall, Cape Verde exited the tournament tied with DR Congo for points and undefeated, yet losing to DR Congo on goal difference. Exhibiting good form, poise and defensive prowess, the team were only able to score one goal, while exiting at the group stage of their second appearance in the finals of the tournament, while remaining unbeaten in any Cup of Nations group stage match.[16]

Other tournaments and notable matches

[edit]

Cape Verde has two titles: It hosted and won the Amílcar Cabral Cup in 2000, and won the gold medal in the football tournament at the 2009 Lusophony Games. The team also won a bronze medal at the 2006 Lusophony Games. For the first time in its history, on 2 November 2002, it faced a non-African team, Luxembourg, in a friendly, resulting in a scoreless draw. On 4 September 2009, it faced Malta in a friendly, resulting in a 2–0 victory. On 24 May 2010, Cape Verde played out a 0–0 draw in a friendly match against a full-strength Portugal.[17] At the time, Portugal was third in the FIFA rankings and Cape Verde were 117th.[18] On 31 March 2015, a second friendly against Portugal resulted in a 2–0 victory in Portugal.[19]

Stadiums

[edit]
Main articles: Estádio da Várzea and Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde

The team used to play their games at Estádio da Várzea. It is located in the capital city, Praia, on the Santiago Island. The stadium opened in 2006 and holds 10,000 people.

In 2014 the new stadium Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde was opened, able to host a capacity of 15,000 people. On 15 October 2014 the team qualified for their second Africa Cup of Nations at the new stadium, in a 1–0 victory over Mozambique, making them the first of all teams in CAF to qualify for the tournament.

Results and fixtures

[edit]
For all past match results of the national team, see Cape Verde national football team results.

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

2023

[edit]
16 November 2026 World Cup qualification Cape Verde  0–0  Angola Praia, Cape Verde
18:00 UTC−1 Report Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde
Referee: Youcef Gamouh (Algeria)
21 November 2026 World Cup qualification Eswatini  0–2  Cape Verde Mbombela, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Mbombela Stadium
Referee: Sabri Mohamed Fadul (Sudan)

2024

[edit]
10 January Friendly Tunisia  2–0  Cape Verde Tunis, Tunisia
18:30 UTC+1
Report (Soccerway)
Report (Eurosport)		 Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi
14 January 2023 Africa Cup of Nations GS Ghana  1–2  Cape Verde Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00 UTC±0 Djiku 56' Report
Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Attendance: 11,943
Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DR Congo)
19 January 2023 Africa Cup of Nations GS Cape Verde  3–0  Mozambique Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00 UTC±0
Report Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Attendance: 5,794[20]
Referee: Samir Guezzaz (Morocco)
22 January 2023 Africa Cup of Nations GS Cape Verde  2–2  Egypt Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
20:00 UTC±0
Report
Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium
Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad)
29 January Africa Cup of Nations R16 Cape Verde  1–0  Mauritania Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00 UTC±0
Report Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium
Attendance: 16,088[21]
Referee: Mohamed Adel (Egypt)
3 February Africa Cup of Nations QF Cape Verde  0–0 (a.e.t.)
(1–2 p)		  South Africa Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
20:00 UTC±0 Report Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro
Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DR Congo)
Penalties
21 March 2024 FIFA Series Cape Verde  1–0  Guyana Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3 Mendes 2' Report Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City
Referee: Shukri Al-Hunfush (Saudi Arabia)
25 March 2024 FIFA Series Cape Verde  1–0  Equatorial Guinea Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3 Cabral 64' Report Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City
Referee: Qasim Matar Al-Hatmi (Oman)
8 June 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Cameroon  4–1  Cape Verde Yaoundé, Cameroon
17:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)
11 June 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Cape Verde  1–0  Libya Praia, Cape Verde
15:00 UTC−1
Report Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde
Referee: Ibrahim Kalilou Traore (Ivory Coast)
6 September 2024 (2024-09-06) 2025 AFCON qualifier Egypt  3–0  Cape Verde Cairo, Egypt
22:00 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Cairo International Stadium
Referee: Abongile Tom (South Africa)
10 September 2024 (2024-09-10) 2025 AFCON qualifier Cape Verde  2–0  Mauritania Praia, Cape Verde
18:00 UTC−1
Report Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde
Referee: Mutaz Ibrahim (Libya)
10 October 2024 (2024-10-10) 2025 AFCON qualifier Cape Verde  0–1  Botswana Praia, Cape Verde
15:00 UTC−1 Report Orebonye 2' Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde
Referee: Samir Guezzaz (Morocco)
15 October 2024 (2024-10-15) 2025 AFCON qualifier Botswana  1–0  Cape Verde Francistown, Botswana
18:00 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Obed Itani Chilume Stadium
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Messie Nkounkou (Congo)
15 November 2024 (2024-11-15) 2025 AFCON qualifier Cape Verde  1–1  Egypt Praia, Cape Verde
14:00 UTC−1
Report
Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde
Referee: Djindo Louis Houngnandande (Benin)
19 November 2024 (2024-11-19) 2025 AFCON qualifier Mauritania  1–0  Cape Verde Nouakchott, Mauritania
15:00 UTC±0
Report Stadium: Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium
Referee: Lahlou Benbraham (Algeria)

2025

[edit]
March 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Cape Verde  v  Mauritius TBD, Cape Verde
March 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Angola  v  Cape Verde TBD, Angola
September 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Mauritius  v  Cape Verde TBD, Mauritius
September 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Cape Verde  v  Cameroon TBD, Cape Verde
October 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Libya  v  Cape Verde TBD, Libya
October 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier Cape Verde  v  Eswatini TBD, Cape Verde

Coaching history

[edit]
Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

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Current squad

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The following players were selected for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Egypt and Mauritania on 15 and 19 November 2024 respectively.[30]

Caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2024, after the match against Mauritania.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Vozinha (1986-06-03) 3 June 1986 (age 38) 76 0 Portugal Chaves
1GK Bruno Varela (1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 30) 7 0 Portugal Vitória Guimaraes
1GK Márcio Rosa (1997-02-23) 23 February 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Bulgaria Hebar Pazardzhik
2DF Pico Lopes (1992-06-17) 17 June 1992 (age 32) 36 0 Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers
2DF João Paulo (1998-05-26) 26 May 1998 (age 26) 30 1 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol
2DF Logan Costa (2001-04-01) 1 April 2001 (age 23) 25 0 Spain Villarreal
2DF Diney (1995-01-17) 17 January 1995 (age 29) 21 1 United Arab Emirates Al Bataeh
2DF Dylan Tavares (1996-08-30) 30 August 1996 (age 28) 20 1 France Bastia
2DF Steven Moreira (1994-08-13) 13 August 1994 (age 30) 13 0 United States Columbus Crew
2DF Wagner Pina (2002-11-03) 3 November 2002 (age 22) 4 0 Portugal Estoril
2DF Kelvin Pires (2000-06-05) 5 June 2000 (age 24) 2 0 Finland SJK
3MF Jamiro Monteiro (1993-11-23) 23 November 1993 (age 30) 43 5 Turkey Gaziantep
3MF Patrick Andrade (1993-02-09) 9 February 1993 (age 31) 25 0 Azerbaijan Qarabağ
3MF Deroy Duarte (1999-07-04) 4 July 1999 (age 25) 22 0 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
3MF Kevin Pina Lenini (1997-01-27) 27 January 1997 (age 27) 22 2 Russia Krasnodar
3MF Laros Duarte (1997-02-28) 28 February 1997 (age 27) 9 0 Netherlands Groningen
3MF Telmo Arcanjo (2001-06-21) 21 June 2001 (age 23) 6 0 Portugal Vitoria
3MF Yannick Semedo (1995-12-29) 29 December 1995 (age 28) 2 0 Portugal Santa Clara
4FW Ryan Mendes (vice-captain) (1990-01-08) 8 January 1990 (age 34) 84 21 Turkey Fatih Karagümrük
4FW Bebé (1990-07-12) 12 July 1990 (age 34) 26 6 Spain Racing de Ferrol
4FW Gilson Tavares Benchimol (2001-12-29) 29 December 2001 (age 22) 21 5 Russia Akron Tolyatti
4FW Jovane Cabral (1998-06-14) 14 June 1998 (age 26) 18 2 Portugal Sporting CP
4FW Hélio Varela (2002-05-03) 3 May 2002 (age 22) 13 0 Portugal Portimonense
4FW Dailon Livramento (2001-05-04) 4 May 2001 (age 23) 9 0 Italy Hellas Verona

Recent call-ups

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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 Dylan Silva (1999-02-10) 10 February 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Portugal Sintrense vs.  Botswana, 15 October 2024
GK Tiago Gomes (2002-08-14) 14 August 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise vs.  Libya, 11 June 2024
GK Paulo Santos Cassoco (2002-01-21) 21 January 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Portugal Estrela Amadora U23 vs.  Libya, 11 June 2024
DF Jójó (2001-05-19) 19 May 2001 (age 23) 2 0 Portugal Paços de Ferreira vs.  Botswana, 15 October 2024
DF Rivaldo Morais (2000-09-18) 18 September 2000 (age 24) 0 0 Portugal Farense vs.  Botswana, 15 October 2024
DF Kristopher Da Graca (1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 (age 26) 1 0 Finland Kuopion Palloseura vs.  Equatorial Guinea, 26 March 2024
DF Erik Duarte (1996-10-31) 31 October 1996 (age 28) 0 0 Cape Verde Académica vs.  Equatorial Guinea, 26 March 2024
DF Ponck (1995-01-13) 13 January 1995 (age 29) 23 0 Portugal Moreirense vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Steve Furtado (1994-11-22) 22 November 1994 (age 29) 16 0 Bulgaria CSKA 1948 vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Steven Fortès (1992-04-17) 17 April 1992 (age 32) 13 0 France Quevilly-Rouen vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
DF João Correia (1996-09-05) 5 September 1996 (age 28) 4 0 Portugal Chaves vs. 2023 AFCON DEC
DF Nica Panduru (1995-11-29) 29 November 1995 (age 28) 2 0 Cape Verde Boavista do Praia vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
DF Delmiro Nascimento (1988-08-19) 19 August 1988 (age 36) 1 0 Cyprus AEZ Zakakiou vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF David Tavares (1999-03-18) 18 March 1999 (age 25) 6 0 Portugal Torreense vs.  Botswana, 15 October 2024
MF Diogo Mendes (1998-01-24) 24 January 1998 (age 26) 2 0 Portugal Maritimo vs.  Mauritania, 10 September 2024
MF Kenny Rocha Santos (2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 24) 29 1 Cyprus AEZ Zakakiou vs. 2023 AFCON
MF Cuca (1991-01-09) 9 January 1991 (age 33) 11 0 Portugal União de Leiria vs. 2023 AFCON
MF Hélder Tavares (1989-12-26) 26 December 1989 (age 34) 14 0 Portugal Tondela vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Leandro Andrade (1999-09-24) 24 September 1999 (age 25) 6 0 Azerbaijan Qarabağ vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Vasco Lopes (1990-09-02) 2 September 1990 (age 34) 4 0 Portugal AVS vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Bruno Freire (1999-03-27) 27 March 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Luxembourg Dudelange vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF Joao Paulo (1997-12-01) 1 December 1997 (age 26) 0 0 Cape Verde Palmeira vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW Garry Rodrigues (1990-11-27) 27 November 1990 (age 33) 53 8 Turkey Ankaragücü vs.  Egypt, 15 November 2024 PRE
FW Fabricio Garcia (2001-05-04) 4 May 2001 (age 23) 4 0 Portugal Estoril U23 vs.  Botswana, 15 October 2024
FW Lisandro Semedo (1996-03-12) 12 March 1996 (age 28) 19 2 Poland Wieczysta Kraków vs.  Equatorial Guinea, 26 March 2024
FW Willy Semedo (1994-04-27) 27 April 1994 (age 30) 24 0 Cyprus Omonia vs.  Mauritania, 10 September 2024
FW Patrick Fernandes (1993-12-13) 13 December 1993 (age 30) 4 0 Portugal Torreense vs.  Mauritania, 10 September 2024
FW Clé (1997-12-12) 12 December 1997 (age 26) 5 1 Israel Hapoel Kfar Shalem vs.  Equatorial Guinea, 26 March 2024
FW Hildeberto Pereira (1996-03-02) 2 March 1996 (age 28) 1 0 Portugal Portimonense vs.  Equatorial Guinea, 26 March 2024
FW Carlos Fortes (1994-11-09) 9 November 1994 (age 30) 1 0 China Foshan Nanshi vs.  Equatorial Guinea, 26 March 2024
FW Bryan Teixeira (2000-09-01) 1 September 2000 (age 24) 7 1 Germany 1. FC Magdeburg vs. 2023 AFCON
FW Júlio Tavares (1988-11-19) 19 November 1988 (age 36) 48 8 Saudi Arabia Al Raed vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW Djaniny (1991-03-21) 21 March 1991 (age 33) 35 6 Saudi Arabia Al Fateh vs. 2023 AFCON PRE INJ
FW Duk (2000-02-16) 16 February 2000 (age 24) 5 0 Scotland Aberdeen vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW Papalélé (1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 26) 2 1 Czech Republic Karviná vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW Alessio da Cruz (1997-01-18) 18 January 1997 (age 27) 1 0 Netherlands Fortuna Sittard vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW Serginho (2001-01-29) 29 January 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Denmark Viborg vs. 2023 AFCON PRE

WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.
RET Player has retired from international football.
SUS Suspended from the national team.

Records

[edit]
As of 11 June 2024[31]
Players in bold are still active with Cape Verde.

Most appearances

[edit]
Ryan Mendes is Cape Verde's top goalscorer and their most capped player.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Ryan Mendes 79 18 2010–present
2 Vozinha 77 0 2012–present
3 Babanco 62 5 2007–2019
4 Stopira 58 3 2007–2023
5 Garry Rodrigues 53 8 2013–present
6 Héldon 52 15 2008–2019
Marco Soares 52 3 2006–2021
Fernando Varela 52 3 2008–2019
9 Júlio Tavares 48 8 2012–present
10 Lito 47 7 2002–2012

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Ryan Mendes 18 79 0.23 2010–present
2 Héldon 15 52 0.29 2008–2019
3 Caló 11 27 0.41 1995–2007
4 Júlio Tavares 8 48 0.17 2012–present
Garry Rodrigues 8 53 0.15 2013–present
6 Lito 7 47 0.15 2002–2012
7 Toni 6 11 0.55 1992–2003
Bebé 6 23 0.26 2022–present
Djaniny 6 35 0.17 2012–present
10 Cafú 5 15 0.33 2003–2007
Gilson Tavares 5 15 0.33 2020–present
Dady 5 23 0.22 2005–2012
Odaïr Fortes 5 28 0.18 2010–2016
Jamiro Monteiro 5 39 0.13 2016–present
Babanco 5 62 0.08 2007–2019

Competitive record

[edit]

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 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
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 2
Germany 2006 12 4 2 6 12 16
South Africa 2010 6 3 0 3 7 8
Brazil 2014 6 3 0 3 9 7
Russia 2018 8 3 0 5 6 13
Qatar 2022 6 3 2 1 8 6
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 4 2 1 1 4 4
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total — 0/10 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 18 6 20 46 56

Africa Cup of Nations

[edit]
Africa Cup of Nations Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D* L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Part of  Portugal Part of  Portugal
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965
Ethiopia 1968
Sudan 1970
Cameroon 1972
Egypt 1974
Ethiopia 1976 Not a member of CAF Not a member of CAF
Ghana 1978
Nigeria 1980
Libya 1982
Ivory Coast 1984
Egypt 1986
Morocco 1988
Algeria 1990
Senegal 1992
Tunisia 1994 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 4
South Africa 1996 Withdrew Withdrew
Burkina Faso 1998 Did not enter Did not enter
Ghana Nigeria 2000 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 3
Mali 2002 2 0 1 1 1 2
Tunisia 2004 6 3 0 3 9 8
Egypt 2006 12 4 2 8 11 16
Ghana 2008 6 1 2 3 3 10
Angola 2010 6 3 0 3 7 8
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 6 3 1 2 7 7
South Africa 2013 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 2 1 3 4 Squad 4 4 0 0 10 3
Equatorial Guinea 2015 Group stage 11th 3 0 3 0 1 1 Squad 6 4 0 2 9 6
Gabon 2017 Did not qualify 6 3 0 3 10 7
Egypt 2019 6 1 2 3 4 5
Cameroon 2021 Round of 16 15th 4 1 1 2 2 4 Squad 6 2 4 0 6 3
Ivory Coast 2023 Quarter-finals 5th 5 3 2 0 8 3 Squad 6 3 1 2 8 6
Morocco 2025 Did not qualify 5 1 1 3 3 6
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined To be determined
2029
Total Quarter-finals 4/34 16 5 8 3 14 12 — 81 33 15 33 90 94

Honours

[edit]

Regional

[edit]

Others

[edit]

Friendly

[edit]

References

[edit]
  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.
  3. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  4. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Cabo Verde". FIFA. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Cape Verde Islands". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Foreign contingent boost Cape Verde". FIFA. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Cape Verde Islands: Profile". FIFA. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  10. ^ "Ghana vs. Cape Verde Islands 2–0". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  11. ^ "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.
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