Mendes
Cape Verde have a population of roughly 500,000 people. They have tried to qualify for the World Cup seven times and failed each time — until now. When Bubista, the head coach and former international, named his 26-man squad on May 18, it completed the most remarkable chapter in the country's football history: a small island nation in the central Atlantic, at the World Cup for the first time, having topped their CAF qualifying group ahead of Cameroon with five straight victories to close the campaign. They conceded just eight goals across the entire qualifying process.
The squad is projected to be the oldest at the tournament, averaging 30.7 years of age. That experience is not a weakness — it is the identity. This is a team built on organization, calmness under pressure, and the maturity of players who have waited a long time for this moment.
The squad is a diaspora in miniature. The players are scattered across Portugal, Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Finland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Israel, the UAE, and the United States. Only one — Logan Costa of Villarreal — plays in Europe's top five leagues. Roberto "Pico" Lopes, a center-back born in Dublin to Cape Verdean parents, plays for Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland. CJ dos Santos, a goalkeeper, plays for San Diego FC in MLS. The domestic Cape Verdean league does not feature at all. This is a nation that has built its squad from the communities its people have settled in, assembled under a flag that means more because of the distance everyone has traveled to wear it.
The squad
Goalkeepers: Josimar Dias "Vozinha" (Chaves), Márcio da Rosa (Montana), CJ dos Santos (San Diego FC)
Defenders: Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew), Wagner Pina (Trabzonspor), João Paulo Fernandes (FCSB), Sidny Lopes Cabral (Benfica), Logan Costa (Villarreal), Roberto "Pico" Lopes (Shamrock Rovers), Kelvin Pires (SJK Seinäjoki), Ianique Tavares (Torreense), Edilson Borges (Al-Bataeh)
Midfielders: Jamiro Monteiro (PEC Zwolle), Telmo Arcanjo (Vitória Guimarães), Yannick Semedo (Farense), Laros Duarte (Puskás Akadémia), Deroy Duarte (Ludogorets), Kevin Pina (Krasnodar)
Forwards: Ryan Mendes (Iğdır FK), Willy Semedo (Omonia Nicosia), Garry Rodrigues (Apollon Limassol), Jovane Cabral (Estrela Amadora), Nuno da Costa (Başakşehir), Dailon Livramento (Casa Pia), Gilson Benchimol (Akron Togliatti), Hélio Varela (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
What it tells you
Ryan Mendes is 36 years old. He plays in the Turkish second division for Iğdır FK. He has 94 caps and 22 goals — both national records — and has been playing international football for Cape Verde since 2010. Sixteen years. Seven failed World Cup qualification campaigns. And now, at the end of his career, the tournament he never expected to reach.
Vozinha, the vice-captain, is 39 and the oldest player in the squad. He has been Cape Verde's goalkeeper for the best part of a decade and will almost certainly start. Behind him, Logan Costa of Villarreal is the squad's only top-five-league player and the defensive anchor — young, quick, and with the quality to compete at this level.
Dailon Livramento of Casa Pia is the player to watch. At 24, he was Cape Verde's top scorer in qualifying with four goals, including decisive strikes against Cameroon and Eswatini. He arrives as the squad's primary goal threat. Jovane Cabral of Estrela Amadora, Garry Rodrigues of Apollon Limassol, and Nuno da Costa of Başakşehir provide attacking depth from varied leagues and varied styles.
In midfield, Jamiro Monteiro of PEC Zwolle and Kevin Pina of Krasnodar offer experience and composure. The midfield is built to compete rather than to dominate — Bubista's system is designed around organization and counter-attacking rather than sustained possession. The same defensive structure that conceded eight goals across qualifying will be the foundation here.
For Mendes and Vozinha, this is the last act. For Livramento and Costa, it may be the first of several. For Cape Verde, it is everything.
Cape Verde are in Group H alongside Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia. They open against Spain on June 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, face Uruguay on June 21 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and conclude against Saudi Arabia on June 26 at NRG Stadium in Houston.