{"id":1449597,"date":"2026-06-27T09:54:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T08:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=news&#038;p=1449597"},"modified":"2026-07-04T01:45:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T00:45:22","slug":"cape-verde-world-cup-2026-route-to-the-final","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/world-cup\/cape-verde-world-cup-2026-route-to-the-final\/","title":{"rendered":"Cape Verde World Cup 2026: Route to the final, next match and tactical analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Cape Verde&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/world-cup-2026-betting-tips-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2026 World Cup<\/a> adventure might&#8217;ve come to an end against Argentina but they leave the tournament full of pride, having won the hearts of millions. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Blue Sharks held Spain to a goalless draw, played out a 2-2 draw against Uruguay, then finished Group H with another goalless draw against Saudi Arabia to become the first country in the 21st century to reach the knockout stages on the back of three straight draws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tiny African nation secured second spot behind Spain, while Uruguay and Saudi Arabia were both sent home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That set up a fantastic Round of 32 tie against reigning World Cup holders, Argentina. Cape Verde pushed the champions all the way to extra time before coming up just short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-world-cup-2026-stats\">Cape Verde World Cup 2026 stats<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"vcsw-sports-widgets shortcode vcsw-stats-cards\" id=\"stats_cards-1\"><script type=\"application\/json\">{\"sports_type\":\"football\",\"widget_type\":\"stats\",\"display_mode\":\"table\",\"competition\":\"667aabbb773e0180d8f74d65\",\"cards\":[{\"stats\":[{\"value\":\"Games\",\"label\":\"Games\"},{\"value\":\"Shots (excl blocks)\",\"label\":\"Shots (excl blocks)\"},{\"value\":\"Goals\",\"label\":\"Goals\"},{\"value\":\"Assists\",\"label\":\"Assists\"},{\"value\":\"Tackles Made\",\"label\":\"Tackles Made\"},{\"value\":\"Yellow Cards\",\"label\":\"Yellow Cards\"},{\"value\":\"Red Cards\",\"label\":\"Red Cards\"}],\"entity\":\"members\",\"participant\":\"\"}],\"top_count\":10,\"full_list\":\"true\",\"participant\":\"666cd7cf773e0180d8e8fcc3\"}<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-key-players-for-world-cup-2026\">Cape Verde key players for World Cup 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-top-world-cup-golden-boot-contender-ryan-mendes\">Cape Verde top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Ryan Mendes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Key stat:<\/strong> Ryan Mendes is Cape Verde&#8217;s all-time leading goalscorer with 22 goals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the age of 36, this could be Ryan Mendes&#8217; last major tournament for Cape Verde. And he&#8217;ll be dreaming of making history. Mendes is Cape Verde&#8217;s all-time top goalscorer, having netted 22 goals in just over 90 appearances to date. That may not seem like much, but remember that Cape Verde aren&#8217;t a footballing giant. He&#8217;s a winger too, with a few spells through the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-primary-playmaker-sidny-cabral\">Cape Verde primary playmaker: Sidny Cabral<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Key stat:<\/strong> Sidny Cabral has created 39 chances in the Primeira Liga this season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sidny Cabral is a new arrival at Benfica, joining midway through the season. But he&#8217;ll be hoping to continue his previous form to build up to the World Cup. The right-back has created 39 chances in the Primeira Liga so far this season, with nine of those being big chances. Cabral has also provided five assists to go alongside his six goals, though a good chunk did come as a wing-back for Estrela.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-card-magnets-amp-top-tacklers-jamiro-monteiro\">Cape Verde card magnets &amp; top tacklers: Jamiro Monteiro<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Key stat:<\/strong> Jamiro Monteiro has made 39 tackles in the Eredivisie this season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jamiro Monteiro is a battling midfielder, perhaps a bit too battling at times. He has already served a two-game suspension for PEC Zwolle in the Eredivisie for a red card picking up after just two minutes of their 2-0 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles in September. But that is also the only card he&#8217;s received in the league this season. Monteiro has made 33 tackles in the Eredivisie so far, committing just 14 fouls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-rising-star-telmo-arcanjo\">Cape Verde rising star: Telmo Arcanjo<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There aren&#8217;t too many young players bursting onto the scene for Cape Verde at the moment. But Telmo Arcanjo is one of the their youngest at the tournament, turning 25 during the tournament in April. The defender plies his trade with Vitoria de Guimaraes, making 57 appearances for the Portuguese club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>STAND-OUT STAT: <strong>Cape Verde<\/strong> are the smallest country by land area to ever qualify for the men&#8217;s World Cup.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-set-piece-specialists\"><strong>Cape Verde set-piece specialists<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Penalties: <\/strong>Sidny Cabral<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Free kicks: <\/strong>Jamiro Monteiro <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Corners:<\/strong> Sidny Cabral<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-tactical-analysis-and-formation\">Cape Verde tactical analysis and formation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Team stats (average per game from last four competitive matches):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Corners: <\/strong>4.25<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shots on target: <\/strong>4.50<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shots on target conceded: <\/strong>2.25<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Offsides: <\/strong>3.75<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE-819x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1454637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE-214x267.png 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE-160x200.png 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE-48x60.png 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE-120x150.png 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE-59x74.png 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/04143743\/CAPE-VERDE.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cape Verde have generally stuck with a 4-3-3 in recent matches, evolving occasionally into from a 4-2-3-1 which has been favoured previously. It will be interesting to see if Cape Verde stick with their guns for the World Cup, or if they&#8217;ll go more defensive &#8212; with some experience in a back three. Should the back four remain, James Monteiro and Kevin Lenini will have important roles in the midfield. Ryan Mendes and Willy Semedo could play on the wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/cabo-verde\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get the latest Cape Verde World Cup goals, shots, tackle, assist stats and more here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-manager-analysis\">Cape Verde manager analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bubista is a former Cape Verde international, who took charge of the national team in 2020. He had had previous spells as an assistant, in between senior club roles. Cape Verde have grown a lot under Bubista, reaching back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 and 2025 &#8212; reaching the quarter-finals in the latter. It was just the second time they had reached that stage, and it came with an extra game required compared to 2013. Unfortunately, Cape Verde didn&#8217;t qualify in 2025, but they more than made up for it with a spot at the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-regular\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Coach<\/th><th>Team<\/th><th>P<\/th><th>W<\/th><th>D<\/th><th>L<\/th><th>GF<\/th><th>GA<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Win %<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Bubista<\/td><td>Cape Verde<\/td><td>59<\/td><td>28<\/td><td>13<\/td><td>18<\/td><td>78<\/td><td>60<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">47.46%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cape-verde-world-cup-faqs\">Cape Verde World Cup FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Have Cape Verde ever won the World Cup?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cape Verde have never won the World Cup, with this being their debut tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Where did Cape Verde finish in the last World Cup?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cape Verde have never played at a World Cup before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Who will be Cape Verde captain at the World Cup?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ryan Mendes is expected to be Cape Verde&#8217;s captain at the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Who is Cape Verde&#8217;s all-time top goalscorer at World Cups?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With this being Cape Verde&#8217;s first World Cup, the entire squad will be hoping to take this honour.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/world-cup-2026-betting-tips-predictions\/\"><strong>World Cup predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/world-cup-outright-odds\/\"><strong>World Cup outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/world-cup-2026-fixtures-results\/\"><b>World Cup fixtures &amp; results<\/b><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/world-cup-2026-betting-offers\/\"><b>World Cup free bets<\/b><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cape Verde&#8217;s 2026 World Cup adventure might&#8217;ve come to an end against Argentina but they leave the tournament full of pride, having won the hearts of millions. The Blue Sharks held Spain to a goalless draw, played out a 2-2 draw against Uruguay, then finished Group H with another goalless draw against Saudi Arabia to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":1463958,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"cape verde route to the final","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Everything you need to know about tournament debutants Cape Verde and their potential route to the final at World Cup 2026.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"news-category":[27626],"class_list":["post-1449597","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-category-world-cup"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cape Verde World Cup 2026: Route to the final, 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