Cape Verde national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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	Stopira
Most caps	Ryan Mendes (75)
Top scorer	Ryan Mendes (17)
Home stadium	Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde
FIFA code	CPV
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	74 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	27 (February 2014)
Lowest	182 (April 2000)
Elo ranking
Current	104 6 (3 March 2019)
Highest	69 (31 March 2015)
Lowest	146 (August 1998)
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
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) 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. They have reached the quarter finals in 2013 and 2023.

History

Overview

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. The Cape Verdean Football Federation was formed in 1982, and joined FIFA in 1986.

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.

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

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.

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.

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. 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

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.

2015 Africa Cup of Nations

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. 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. 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.

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.

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. 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.

Other tournaments and notable matches

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. At the time, Portugal was third in the FIFA rankings and Cape Verde were 117th. On 31 March 2015, a second friendly against Portugal resulted in a 2–0 victory in Portugal.

Stadiums

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

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

2023 AFCON qualification 28 March	Swaziland	0–1	Cape Verde	Mbombela, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2		https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2022/09/27/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/swaziland/cape-verde-islands/3782976/	Mendes  56'	Stadium: Mbombela Stadium Referee: Jean Ishimwe (Rwanda)

Friendly 12 June	Morocco	0–0	Cape Verde	Rabat, Morocco
		https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/06/12/world/friendlies/morocco/cape-verde-islands/4074123/		Stadium: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium

2023 AFCON qualification 18 June	Cape Verde	3–1	Burkina Faso	Praia, Cape Verde
15:00 UTC−1	Bebé  7' Fernandes  67' Clé  90+4'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/06/00/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/cape-verde-islands/burkina-faso/3782977/	Dayo  45+3'	Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Haythem Guirat (Tunisia)

2023 AFCON qualification 10 September	Togo	3–2	Cape Verde	Lomé, Togo
16:00 UTC±0	Denkey  40' (pen.), 77' Ouattara  87'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/09/10/africa/africa-cup-of-nations-qualification/togo/cape-verde-islands/3782980/	Pina  4' Benchimol  20'	Stadium: Stade de Kégué Referee: Ibrahim Mutaz (Libya)

Friendly 12 October	Algeria	5–1	Cape Verde	Constantine, Algeria
20:00 UTC+1	Amoura  12' Aouar  39', 41' Zerrouki  61' Slimani  89' (pen.)	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/10/12/world/friendlies/algeria/cape-verde-islands/4254033/	Bebé  55'	Stadium: Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium Referee: Mehrez Melki (Tunisia)

Friendly 17 October	Cape Verde	1–2	Comoros	Istres, France
		https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2023/10/17/world/friendlies/cape-verde-islands/comoros/4258101/		Stadium: Stade Parsemain

2026 World Cup qualification 16 November	Cape Verde	0–0	Angola	Praia, Cape Verde
18:00 UTC−1		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017594		Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Youcef Gamouh (Algeria)

2026 World Cup qualification 21 November	Swaziland	0–2	Cape Verde	Mbombela, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2		https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/520/288282/288289/400017596	Mendes  17' Monteiro  38'	Stadium: Mbombela Stadium Referee: Sabri Mohamed Fadul (Sudan)

2024

Friendly 10 January	Tunisia	2–0	Cape Verde	Tunis, Tunisia
18:30 UTC+1	Achouri  12' Msakni  53'	Report (Soccerway) Report (Eurosport)		Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi

2023 Africa Cup of Nations GS 14 January	Ghana	1–2	Cape Verde	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00 UTC±0	Djiku  56'	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/14/africa/africa-cup-of-nations/ghana/cape-verde-islands/4262300/	Monteiro  17' Rodrigues  90+2'	Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 11,943 Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DR Congo)

2023 Africa Cup of Nations GS 19 January	Cape Verde	3–0	Mozambique	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00	Bebé  32' Mendes  51' K. Pina  69'	https://it.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/19/africa/africa-cup-of-nations/cape-verde-islands/mozambique/4262302/		Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 5,794 Referee: Samir Guezzaz (Morocco)

2023 Africa Cup of Nations GS 22 January	Cape Verde	2–2	Egypt	Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
20:00	G. Tavares  45+1' Teixeira  90+9'	https://it.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/22/africa/africa-cup-of-nations/cape-verde-islands/egypt/4262304/	Trézéguet  50' Mostafa  90+3'	Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad)

Africa Cup of Nations R16 29 January	Cape Verde	1–0	Mauritania	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
20:00	Mendes  88' (pen.)	https://it.soccerway.com/matches/2024/01/29/africa/africa-cup-of-nations/cape-verde-islands/mauritania/4273895/		Stadium: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium Attendance: 16,088 Referee: Mohamed Adel (Egypt)

Africa Cup of Nations QF 3 February	Cape Verde	0–0 (1–2 pen)	South Africa	Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
		https://it.soccerway.com/matches/2024/02/03/africa/africa-cup-of-nations/cape-verde-islands/south-africa/4273903/		Stadium: Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DR Congo)
		Penalties
	*Bebé Semedo L. Duarte Teixeira Andrade		* Mokoena Lepasa Modiba Mvala

2024 FIFA Series 21 March	Cape Verde	1–0	Guyana	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3	Mendes  2'	https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/506/289421/289422/400017947		Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Referee: Shukri Al-Hunfush (Saudi Arabia)

2024 FIFA Series 25 March	Cape Verde	1–0	Equatorial Guinea	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
22:00 UTC+3	Cabral  64'	https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/match-centre/match/506/289421/289422/400017946		Stadium: Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Referee: Qasim Matar Al-Hatmi (Oman)

2026 FIFA WC Qualifier 3 June	Cameroon	v	Cape Verde	TBD, Cameroon

2026 FIFA WC Qualifier 10 June	Cape Verde	v	Libya	TBD, Cape Verde

2025

2026 FIFA WC Qualifier March	Cape Verde	v	Mauritius	TBD, Cape Verde

2026 FIFA WC Qualifier March	Angola	v	Cape Verde	TBD, Angola

2026 FIFA WC Qualifier September	Mauritius	v	Cape Verde	TBD, Mauritius

2026 FIFA WC Qualifier September	Cape Verde	v	Cameroon	TBD, Cape Verde

2026 FIFA WC Qualifier October	Libya	v	Cape Verde	TBD, Libya

2026 FIFA WC Qualifier October	Cape Verde	v	Swaziland	TBD, Cape Verde

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following players have been selected for the 2024 FIFA Series in March 2024.

Caps and goals correct as of 26 March 2024, after the match against Equatorial Guinea.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Vozinha	(1986-06-03) 3 June 1986 (age 37)	74	0	AS Trenčín
12	1GK	Dylan Silva	(1999-02-10) 10 February 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Sintrense
22	1GK	Tiago Gomes	(2002-08-14) 14 August 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Union Saint-Gilloise
2	2DF	Jójó	(2001-05-19) 19 May 2001 (age 22)	1	0	Paços de Ferreira
3	2DF	Kristopher Da Graca	(1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 (age 26)	1	0	HJK
4	2DF	Roberto Lopes	(1992-06-17) 17 June 1992 (age 31)	30	0	Shamrock Rovers
5	2DF	Logan Costa	(2001-04-01) 1 April 2001 (age 23)	17	0	Toulouse
13	2DF	Erik Duarte	(1996-10-31) 31 October 1996 (age 27)	0	0	Académica
18	2DF	Wagner Pina	(2002-11-03) 3 November 2002 (age 21)	1	0	Estoril
23	2DF	Kelvin Pires	(2000-06-05) 5 June 2000 (age 23)	2	0	AS Trenčín
6	3MF	Patrick Andrade	(1993-02-09) 9 February 1993 (age 31)	20	0	Qarabağ
8	3MF	João Paulo	(1998-05-26) 26 May 1998 (age 25)	23	1	Sheriff Tiraspol
14	3MF	Deroy Duarte	(1999-07-04) 4 July 1999 (age 24)	17	0	Fortuna Sittard
16	3MF	Kevin Pina Lenini	(1997-01-27) 27 January 1997 (age 27)	13	2	Krasnodar
19	3MF	Diogo Mendes	(1998-01-24) 24 January 1998 (age 26)	1	0	Maritimo
7	4FW	Lisandro Semedo	(1996-03-12) 12 March 1996 (age 28)	19	2	Radomiak Radom
9	4FW	Dailon Livramento	(2001-05-04) 4 May 2001 (age 22)	1	0	MVV Maastricht
10	4FW	Jovane Cabral	(1998-06-14) 14 June 1998 (age 25)	12	2	Olympiacos
11	4FW	Hildeberto Pereira	(1996-03-02) 2 March 1996 (age 28)	1	0	Portimonense
15	4FW	Clé	(1997-12-12) 12 December 1997 (age 26)	5	1	AEZ Zakakiou
17	4FW	Hélio Varela	(2002-05-03) 3 May 2002 (age 21)	5	0	Portimonense
20	4FW	Ryan Mendes (vice-captain)	(1990-01-08) 8 January 1990 (age 34)	77	18	Fatih Karagümrük
21	4FW	Carlos Fortes	(1994-11-09) 9 November 1994 (age 29)	1	0	Al Dhafra

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Cape Verde in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Márcio Rosa	(1997-02-23) 23 February 1997 (age 27)	1	0	Anadia	vs. 2023 AFCON
GK	Bruno Varela	(1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 29)	1	0	Vitória Guimaraes	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
GK	Keven Ramos	(1994-06-06) 6 June 1994 (age 29)	1	0	Batuque	vs.  Burkina Faso, 18 June 2023
DF	Stopira (captain)	(1988-05-20) 20 May 1988 (age 35)	58	3	Boavista do Praia	vs. 2023 AFCON
DF	Dylan Tavares	(1996-08-30) 30 August 1996 (age 27)	20	1	Bastia	vs. 2023 AFCON
DF	Diney	(1995-01-17) 17 January 1995 (age 29)	19	0	Al Bataeh	vs. 2023 AFCON
DF	Steven Moreira	(1994-08-13) 13 August 1994 (age 29)	7	0	Columbus Crew	vs. 2023 AFCON
DF	Ponck	(1995-01-13) 13 January 1995 (age 29)	23	0	Moreirense	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
DF	Steve Furtado	(1994-11-22) 22 November 1994 (age 29)	16	0	CSKA 1948	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
DF	Steven Fortès	(1992-04-17) 17 April 1992 (age 32)	13	0	Rouen	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
DF	João Correia	(1996-09-05) 5 September 1996 (age 27)	4	0	Chaves	vs. 2023 AFCON DEC
DF	Nica Panduru Morais Lopes	(1995-11-29) 29 November 1995 (age 28)	2	0	Boavista do Praia	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
DF	Delmiro Nascimento	(1988-08-19) 19 August 1988 (age 35)	1	0	AEZ Zakakiou	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
DF	Sidny Lopes Cabral	(2002-09-18) 18 September 2002 (age 21)	1	0	Rot-Weiß Erfurt	vs.  Comoros, 17 October 2023
DF	Romario Carvalho	(1993-11-20) 20 November 1993 (age 30)	0	0	Oliveira do Hospital	vs.  Togo, 10 September 2023
DF	Ivanildo Fernandes	(1996-03-01) 1 March 1996 (age 28)	2	0	Ittihad Kalba	vs.  Burkina Faso, 18 June 2023
MF	Jamiro Monteiro	(1993-11-23) 23 November 1993 (age 30)	37	4	Gaziantep	vs. 2023 AFCON
MF	Kenny Rocha Santos	(2000-01-03) 3 January 2000 (age 24)	29	1	AEZ Zakakiou	vs. 2023 AFCON
MF	Cuca	(1991-01-09) 9 January 1991 (age 33)	11	0	União de Leiria	vs. 2023 AFCON
MF	Laros Duarte	(1997-02-28) 28 February 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Groningen	vs. 2023 AFCON
MF	Hélder Tavares	(1989-12-26) 26 December 1989 (age 34)	14	0	Tondela	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF	Leandro Andrade	(1999-09-24) 24 September 1999 (age 24)	6	0	Qarabağ	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF	Vasco Lopes	(1990-09-02) 2 September 1990 (age 33)	4	0	AVS	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF	Yannick Semedo	(1995-12-29) 29 December 1995 (age 28)	1	0	Santa Clara	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF	David Tavares	(1999-03-18) 18 March 1999 (age 25)	4	0	Torreense	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF	Hildeberto Pereira	(1996-03-02) 2 March 1996 (age 28)	1	0	Henan	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF	Bruno Freire	(1999-03-27) 27 March 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Dudelange	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
MF	Joao Paulo Monteiro Soares	(1997-12-01) 1 December 1997 (age 26)	0	0	Palmeira	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW	Bebé	(1990-07-12) 12 July 1990 (age 33)	20	6	Rayo Vallecano	vs.  Guyana, 21 March 2024 INJ
FW	Garry Rodrigues	(1990-11-27) 27 November 1990 (age 33)	52	8	Ankaragücü	vs. 2023 AFCON
FW	Willy Semedo	(1994-04-27) 27 April 1994 (age 30)	22	0	Omonia	vs. 2023 AFCON
FW	Gilson Tavares	(2001-12-29) 29 December 2001 (age 22)	15	5	Benfica B	vs. 2023 AFCON
FW	Bryan Teixeira	(2000-09-01) 1 September 2000 (age 23)	7	1	1. FC Magdeburg	vs. 2023 AFCON
FW	Júlio Tavares	(1988-11-19) 19 November 1988 (age 35)	48	8	Al Raed	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW	Djaniny	(1991-03-21) 21 March 1991 (age 33)	35	6	Al Fateh	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE INJ
FW	Duk	(2000-02-16) 16 February 2000 (age 24)	5	0	Aberdeen	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW	Patrick Fernandes	(1993-12-13) 13 December 1993 (age 30)	4	0	Torreense	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW	Papalélé	(1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 26)	2	1	Karviná	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW	Alessio da Cruz	(1997-01-18) 18 January 1997 (age 27)	1	0	Fortuna Sittard	vs. 2023 AFCON PRE
FW	Serginho	(2001-01-29) 29 January 2001 (age 23)	1	0	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

Players in bold are still active with Cape Verde.

Most appearances

Ryan Mendes is Cape Verde's most capped player with 75 appearances.

Top goalscorers

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

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
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	To be determined									2	1	1	0	2	0
2030										To be determined
2034
Total	—	0/10	0	0	0	0	0	0		42	17	6	19	44	52

Africa Cup of Nations

Titles: 0 Appearances: 4
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1957	Part of  Portugal
1959
1962
1963
1965
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976	Not a member of CAF
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994	Did not qualify
1996	Withdrew
1998	Did not enter
2000	Did not qualify
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2013	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	2	1	3	4	Squad
2015	Group stage	11th	3	0	3	0	1	1	Squad
2017	Did not qualify
2019
2021	Round of 16	15th	4	1	1	2	2	4	Squad
2023	Quarter-finals	5th	5	3	2	0	9	3	Squad
2025	To be determined
2027
Total	Quarter-finals	4/36	16	5	8	3	15	12	—

Honours

• Amílcar Cabral Cup:
  • Champions: 2000
  • Runners-up: 2007
  • Third place: 1995
• Lusophony Games
  • Gold medal: 2009
  • Bronze medal: 2006

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Cabo Verde para niños