Cape Verde at the World Cup in Atlanta: Roster, Group H outlook, schedule, players to watch

What a moment this summer will be for Cape Verde. The island country of just over 491,233 — just a shade fewer than the 498,715 that live within the Atlanta city limits — will play in its first World Cup. It’s a very young country: the former Portuguese colony-turned-province celebrated its 50th anniversary as a sovereign nation just last year. The men’s national team began play in 1978 and joined FIFA in 1982, and despite being such a small country, has made a bit of a name for itself. In 2013, it advanced all the way to the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal on its first appearance in the tournament and did so again in 2023.

This, though, is the biggest stage of them all.

The skinny on Cape Verde (Cabo Verde)

Manager: Bubista

Captain: Ryan Mendes

1st World Cup appearance

Best finish: N/A

Cape Verde’s World Cup group stage matches

vs. Spain: June 15 at noon ET, Atlanta
vs. Uruguay: June 21 at 6 p.m. ET, Miami
vs. Saudi Arabia: June 26 at 8 p.m. ET, Houston

Cape Verde’s final 26-man World Cup roster

Goalkeepers: Vozinha (Chaves), Márcio Rosa (Montana), CJ dos Santos (San Diego FC)

Defenders: Diney Borges (Al Bataeh), Sidny Lopes Cabral (Benfica), Logan Costa (Villareal), Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew), Wagner Pina (Trabzonspor), Joao Paulo Fernandes (FCSB), Pico Lopes (Shamrock Rovers), Kelvin Pires (SJK), Stopira (Torreense)

Midfielders: Telmo Arcanjo (Vitória), Laros Duarte (Puskás Akadémia), Deroy Duarte (Ludogorets Razgrad), Jamiro Monteiro (PEC Zwolle), Kevin Pina (Krasnodar), Yannick Semedo (Farense)

Forwards: Gilson Benchimol (Akron Tolyatti), Jovane Cabral (Estrela da Amadora), Nuno da Costa (Başakşehir), Dailon Livramento (Casa Pia), Ryan Mendes (Iğdır), Garry Rodrigues (Apollon Limassol), Willy Semedo (Omonia), Hélio Varela (Maccabi Tel Aviv)

Cape Verde’s Group H outlook

Simply put, Cape Verde has been drawn into a group that it most likely won’t get out of. It certainly didn’t ask to be paired with the No. 2- and No. 17-ranked countries in the world, so it may be forced into a role where it could spoil Saudi Arabia’s chances at being one of the top eight third-place finishers who make it to the knockout stage.

Cape Verde’s knockout stage outlook

Not likely. Though Cape Verde enters the tournament with plenty of belief and excitement, it understands that it has a tough hill to climb.

Three Cape Verde players you need to know

Ryan Mendes

Mendes, 36, is Cape Verde’s most-capped (96) and highest-scoring (22) player of all time. While he’s playing second-division Turkish football right now, he’s had stops at places such as Le Havre, Lille, and Nottingham Forest throughout his career. He’s been primarily used as a left winger but has been deployed as a right winger, central midfielder, attacking midfielder, and striker during his career.

Jamiro Monteiro

MLS fans will recognize Montero from his time with the Philadelphia Union and San Jose Earthquakes. Since 2024, though, he’s been in his native Netherlands playing for PEC Zwolle. He’ll primarily take up a central midfield role next to Deroy Duarte in a 4-2-3-1 setup.

Steven Moreira

I have to spotlight Moreira as he’ll be the most familiar name to American soccer audiences, given that he plays for the Columbus Crew. Moreira was born and raised in France to Cape Verdean parents; after playing in France’s youth international setup from 2009-2015, he was called in to the Cape Verde national team for the first time in 2023.

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