Debutants — 2026 is Cape Verde's first World Cup. With a population near half a million, they become one of the smallest nations ever to reach the finals.
A direct, fearless forward whose six goals already make him one of the squad's sharpest finishers despite barely two dozen caps — the kind of debutant a World Cup can launch.
Captain and talisman; the most-capped Blue Shark in history and still leading the line at 36.
Also the nation's all-time top scorer — the only man in the Cape Verde books to top both columns.
⚠ The most-used eleven in recent matches under Pedro Leitão Brito "Bubista" (June 2026) — a snapshot of recent form, never a forecast.
| PLAYER | POS | ERA | CAPS | GLS | FILE NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Mendes #20 | FW | 2010– | 98 | 22 | Captain, record cap-holder and record scorer — the one constant from the wilderness years to the World Cup. |
| Stopira #2 | LB | 2008– | 61 | 4 | Came out of international retirement to drag the islands over the line — a left-back with a fairy-tale ending. |
| Garry Rodrigues #11 | RW | 2014– | 60 | 10 | Dutch-raised dribbler who chose the islands; tormented Ghana at the 2023 Cup of Nations. |
| Héldon #10 | AM | 2008–2018 | 52 | 15 | The creative metronome of the 2010s sides — long the nation's leading scorer before Mendes. |
| Djaniny #9 | FW | 2012–2019 | 35 | 7 | Pace, height and a Liga MX golden boot — the well-travelled striker of his generation. |
| Vozinha #1 | GK | 2012– | 86 | 0 | The veteran gloveman, second only to the captain in caps, still No. 1 at the debut. |
| Babanco #5 | DF | 2007–2019 | 62 | 5 | Held the appearance record for years — the quiet spine of the breakthrough teams. |
| Fernando Varela #4 | CB | 2010–2019 | 51 | 4 | Centre-half and skipper of the 2013 quarter-final run that first put the islands on the map. |
| Nivaldo #16 | GK | 2007–2014 | 35 | 0 | The keeper behind the 2013 surprise — penalties saved, a nation suddenly believing. |
| Jamiro Monteiro #10 | MF | 2016– | 55 | 5 | Box-to-box engine of the modern midfield — equally at home in MLS and the islands' colours. |
Half a million islanders, one ocean, and a football team that simply refused to read the script. Cape Verde arrive at their first World Cup as the smallest of underdogs and the largest of feel-good stories — a squad stitched together from the global diaspora, captained by a 36-year-old who has waited his whole career for this. The Almanac does not predict; it merely notes that fairy tales are best read aloud.