Cape Verde — 2026 World Cup Squad

Start with the back line, because that is where Cape Verde's hopes actually live. Logan Costa anchors it from Villarreal, a centre-half who has graduated from promising to genuinely trusted, and around him sit Steven Moreira of Columbus Crew and Benfica's Sidny Lopes Cabral. That is a defensive spine drawn from three different leagues and three different football cultures, and it is the reason the Blue Sharks can look a tier above their population of half a million.

Going forward, the picture is more about graft than glamour. Jamiro Monteiro runs the engine room out of PEC Zwolle, the player tasked with turning broken-up attacks into something pointed, with Kevin Pina supplying width and bite from his base at Krasnodar. Ryan Mendes leads the line from Igdir, more a connector than a poacher, the kind of forward who drops in and drags defenders out of shape.

None of it adds up to a side anyone expects to advance. But Cape Verde have built their whole story on being underestimated, and a back three this stubborn means whoever draws them will not enjoy the ninety minutes, regardless of the scoreline.