Cape Verde Islands

Overview

The Cape Verde Islands national football team represents the archipelago nation in international association football and is governed by the Federação Cabo-Verdiana de Futebol, which was founded in 1982. The team competes under the confederation of the Confederation of African Football. Cape Verde gained wider continental recognition after qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations on multiple occasions, performing creditably in the tournament and reaching the knockout stages. The team has not won a major senior international title.

The squad has drawn players from the Cape Verdean diaspora across Europe, which has broadened the pool of available talent considerably. Among the notable current players are Logan Costa, Diney Borges, Márcio Rosa, Vózinha, C. dos Santos, and S. Lopes Cabral. Several squad members play their club football in European leagues, giving the team a degree of technical quality and physical preparation that has helped Cape Verde compete against larger African nations.