Cape Verde's 2026 World Cup squad is officially confirmed, named by head coach Bubista on May 19, 2026. The 26-player roster brings together three goalkeepers, nine defenders, eleven midfielders and three forwards. Cape Verde is drawn into Group H, where it faces Spain, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. The most-played player in the last 12 months of national-team football is Josimar Évora, with 390 minutes across 4 caps, the squad's most in-form option heading into the tournament. Close behind is Edilson Monteiro on 390 minutes, another of the side's most-used players over the same period. Over the past twelve months the team has posted 5 wins, 7 draws and 2 losses, scoring 23 goals and conceding 14. Our ranking orders the squad purely by national-team minutes, not club minutes, and every name links to a player profile with the full minutes and recent-form breakdown.
Matches & results
Group standings
Group H
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Spain |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 7 |
| 2 |  Cape Verde |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 |  Uruguay |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 2 |
| 4 |  Saudi Arabia |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 2 |
26-man squad
| # | Player | Position | Club | NT minutes (12mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josimar Évora | Goalkeeper | Cape Verde Islands | 390 |
| 2 | Edilson Monteiro | Defender | Al Bataeh | 390 |
| 3 | Roberto Lopes | Defender | Shamrock Rovers | 390 |
| 4 | Kevin Gonçalves | Midfielder | FC Krasnodar | 351 |
| 5 | Ryan Mendes | Midfielder | Iğdır FK | 331 |
| 6 | Steven Moreira | Defender | Columbus Crew | 301 |
| 7 | Sidny Lopes | Defender | Benfica | 286 |
| 8 | Jamiro Monteiro | Midfielder | PEC Zwolle | 283 |
| 9 | Deroy Duarte | Midfielder | Ludogorets | 264 |
| 10 | Dailon Rocha | Forward | Casa Pia | 175 |
| 11 | Laros d'Encarnação | Midfielder | Puskas Academy | 166 |
| 12 | Nuno da Costa | Forward | Başakşehir | 157 |
| 13 | Jovane Borges | Midfielder | Estrela | 141 |
| 14 | Willy Semedo | Midfielder | Omonia Nicosia | 130 |
| 15 | João Moreira | Defender | FCSB | 104 |
| 16 | Hélio Oliveira | Midfielder | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 101 |
| 17 | Wagner Cardoso | Defender | Trabzonspor | 89 |
| 18 | Gilson Benchimol | Forward | Akron | 78 |
| 19 | Garry Mendes | Midfielder | Apollon Limassol | 77 |
| 20 | Telmo Gomes | Midfielder | Guimaraes | 56 |
| 21 | Jair Semedo | Midfielder | Farense | 30 |
| 22 | Carlos Antunes | Goalkeeper | San Diego | 0 |
| 23 | Márcio Salomão | Goalkeeper | Montana | 0 |
| 24 | Logan Evans | Defender | Villarreal | 0 |
| 25 | Kelvin Spencer | Defender | SJK | 0 |
| 26 | Ianique dos | Defender | Torreense | 0 |
Methodology
Players are ranked by minutes played for the national team over the last 365 days. Ties are broken by appearances. The top 16 are labeled Locked, ranks 17–22 Likely, ranks 23–30 Bubble — a starting frame, not a verdict.
Articles
Half a Million People, One Knockout Ticket: Cape Verde Reach the Round of 32
Half a Million People, One Knockout Ticket A country of about 525,000 people is into the Round of 32. Cape Verde drew 0-0 with Saudi Arabia in Houston…
Cape Verde Hold Uruguay to a 2-2 Draw and Stay Unbeaten in Group H
Cape Verde drew 2-2 with Uruguay at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, as of June 22, 2026 Match centre vs Uruguay — official record . Two matches…
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