Cape Verde appeared in their first FIFA World Cup in 2026. In their debut match against Spain, they tied 0–0, earning their first point in World Cup history.^[1]

On 13 October 2025, they qualified for the World Cup for the first time after a 3–0 victory over Eswatini.^[2][3] At the time of their qualification, Cape Verde was noted as the smallest country by land area and the second-least-populated country to qualify for the World Cup, with a land area of 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 sq mi) and a population of just under 525,000.^[4][5] However, after the qualification of Curaçao's team a month later, Cape Verde became the second-smallest country by land area and the third-least-populated.^[6][7]

The team was drawn into Group H alongside Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia. In their first ever World Cup game, they caused a major upset by drawing 0–0 to Spain. That upset was furthered by a 2–2 draw against Uruguay^[8] and a 0–0 draw against Saudi Arabia^[9] to finish second in their group, thereby becoming the smallest-ever nation to reach the knockout stages of a FIFA World Cup.^[10][11][12]

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		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	Round of 32	32nd	4	0	3	1	4	5	Squad		10	7	2	1	16	8
2030	To be determined										To be determined
2034
Total	Round of 32	1/10	4	0	3	1	4	5	—		50	22	8	20	52	57

On 21 June 2026, Kevin Pina made football history by scoring Cape Verde's first ever FIFA World Cup goal, doing so in the 21st minute of their second group stage match against Uruguay in Miami.

Player	Goals	2026
Deroy Duarte	1	1
Sidny Lopes Cabral	1	1
Kevin Pina	1	1
Hélio Varela	1	1
Total	4	4

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Spain	3	2	1	0	5	0	+5	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Cape Verde	3	0	3	0	2	2	0	3
3	Uruguay	3	0	2	1	3	4	−1	2[a]
4	Saudi Arabia	3	0	2	1	1	5	−4	2[a]

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Round of 32

During the tournament, New Zealand Police confirmed that captain Ryan Mendes was under investigation over an allegation of rape relating to an incident reported at a hotel in Auckland in March 2026, when the squad had been in the city for FIFA Series friendlies. The complainant had worked as an interpreter for the delegation. No charges were laid, and the allegation has not been tested in court.^[13][14] FIFA said it was in contact with the New Zealand authorities, and neither FIFA nor the Cape Verdean federation announced any disciplinary action.^[15]

• African nations at the FIFA World Cup
• Cape Verde at the Africa Cup of Nations