What you need to know about Spain's opponents Cape Verde

Fifa World Cup 2026: What you need to know about Cape VerdeImage source, EPAImage caption, Celebrations in Cape Verde went on for days after they sealed their passage to a first World Cup finals in OctoberByJordan ButlerBBC Sport journalistPublished5 June 2026Get the lowdown on every team at the 2026 World Cup. Here we take a closer look at debutants Cape Verde.What can I expect from Cape Verde?The Blue Sharks have long been considered international minnows and only joined Fifa in 1985 - four decades later and they are finally ready to make their World Cup bow.The west African's possess an enviable team spirit and head coach Bubista says his side will "stay true to their identity" this summer."We will face world-class teams," continued the 56-year-old. "But our philosophy is clear."They employed a 4-2-3-1 formation during qualifying and owe a lot of their success to the pace of their direct attacks. They will attempt to play straight through teams, with lone forward Dailon Livramento constantly seeking to run in behind.The full-backs like to invert and the wingers hug the touchline which creates space for Livramento and playmaker Jamiro Monteiro in the middle.What are Cape Verde's strengths?The team is always very well organised and they will be structured and tactically disciplined.Almost 40% of their qualifying goals came from set piece situations.There are also very few international teams with such an obvious togetherness – the squad may contain players from both Europe and Africa but they are all unified in their love of the island nation.And what about their weaknesses?The drop-off in quality between the starting XI and those on the fringes is often vast. Much of their squad are employed by clubs in Europe's lesser-known leagues and despite forward Dailon Livramento's heroics during the qualifying campaign, they do not possess a regular goalscorer.How might Cape Verde line up?Which players should I look out for...