Cape Verde

Latest results

Standing

Team statistics

Key players

Squad of Cape Verde

Football national side

National team · Cape Verde

«Blue Sharks»

68 Matches

29 wins

20 draws

19 losses

87–68 Goals

+19 Difference

1.3 Scored per game

Form D D D L L L

Quarter-finals is as far as Cape Verde has gone at the Africa Cup of Nations, and it has happened twice, in 2013 and in 2023, the second time settled by a winning goal from Garry Rodrigues against Ghana. Neither run turned into a trophy. What changed the standing of the team was a longer campaign: qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first time the islands had reached the tournament, followed by a Round of 32 match against Argentina that went to extra time before Cape Verde went out, Sidny Lopes Cabral having pulled the score level along the way.

The team plays under the Federação Caboverdiana de Futebol, formed in 1982 and admitted to FIFA four years later, and it carries a nickname earned rather than given: Blue Sharks. The squad draws heavily on players born away from the islands, in Portugal, France and the Netherlands, a pattern that shows in the current group. Ryan Mendes, the captain, holds the team's appearance and scoring records after a career that took him through Reading and PAOK. Goalkeeper Vozinha built his own reputation at the World Cup itself, named Man of the Match against Spain before returning to his club, Chaves, in Portugal.

Home matches are played in Praia, at the Estádio Nacional 11 de Setembro, which holds 15,000 and replaced the smaller Estádio da Várzea after 2014.

Fixtures and results

29 Sep	Africa Cup of Nations - Qualification	Rwanda H	1:2	L
25 Sep	Africa Cup of Nations - Qualification	Mali A	1:3	L
3 Jul	World Cup	Argentina A	2:3	L
27 Jun	World Cup	Saudi Arabia H	0:0	D
21 Jun	World Cup	Uruguay A	2:2	D
15 Jun	World Cup	Spain A	0:0	D

Africa Cup of Nations - Qualification

Group stage · Africa Cup of Nations - Qualification - Group K

Full table

matches counted in total: 68

68 Matches

29 wins

20 draws

19 losses

87–68 Goals

+19 Difference

1.3 Scored per game

Match outcomes matches counted in total: 68

29 20 19

wins losses

Scored and conceded last matches

scored — above the line conceded — below the line

Metric	Total	Home	Away
Matches	68	31	37
Scored	87	40	47
Conceded	68	18	50
Scored per game	1.3	1.3	1.3
Conceded per game	1.0	0.6	1.4
Difference	+19	+22	−3

by appearances over the last year

Roberto Carlos Lopes Defender 6 Matches

Kevin Pina Midfielder 6 Matches

Deroy D'Encarnação Duarte Midfielder 6 Matches

Dailon Rocha Livramento Forward 6 Matches

Josimar José Évora Dias Goalkeeper 6 Matches

Edilson Alberto Monteiro Sanches Borges Defender 6 Matches

Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça Midfielder 6 Matches

João Paulo Midfielder 6 Matches

Cape Verde

by appearances over the last year

Number	Player	Position	Age	Matches
4	Roberto Carlos Lopes	Defender		6
6	Kevin Pina	Midfielder	29	6
14	Deroy D'Encarnação Duarte	Midfielder	27	6
19	Dailon Rocha Livramento	Forward		6
1	Josimar José Évora Dias	Goalkeeper		6
3	Edilson Alberto Monteiro Sanches Borges	Defender		6
20	Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça	Midfielder		6
8	João Paulo	Midfielder	28	6
7	Jovane Eduardo Borges Cabral	Forward	28	6
23	CJ Dos Santos	Goalkeeper	26	6
11	Garry Mendes Rodrigues	Forward		6
5	Logan Evans Costa	Defender		6
21	Nuno Miguel da Costa Jóia	Forward		6
2	Wagner Fabrício Cardoso Pina	Defender	23	6
9	Gilson Benchimol Tavares	Forward	24	6
10	Jamiro Gregory Monteiro Alvarenga	Midfielder	32	6
12	Márcio Salomão Brazão da Rosa	Goalkeeper		6
13	Sidny Lopes Cabral	Defender	24	5
18	Telmo Arcanjo	Midfielder	25	5
15	Laros d'Encarnação Duarte	Midfielder		5
24	Kelvin Spencer Pires	Defender		5
22	Steven Moreira	Defender		4
2	Stopira	Defender	38	4
26	Hélio Sandro Oliveira Alves Varela	Forward		4
17	Willy Johnson Semedo Afonso	Forward		4
16	Jair Semedo Monteiro	Midfielder		4
16	J. Tavares	Midfielder	23	2
25	A. Santos	Midfielder	21	2
22	Jorge Miguel Lopes Xavier	Defender	25	2