Cape Verde Defender Roberto Lopes Celebrates Historic World Cup Qualification
PRAIA, CAPE VERDE – Roberto Lopes is still processing the elation of securing Cape verde’s first-ever FIFA World Cup berth, a moment he calls “overwhelmed with relief.” The defender’s journey to representing the island nation,a team now ranked 70th in the world,is as unique as the achievement itself.
Lopes, whose path to international football was unconventional, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity. “I feel so lucky…I didn’t imagine where it would take me. Six, seven years ago now and now we’re going to a World Cup,” he said. Initially nervous, Lopes immersed himself in his Cape Verdean heritage, studying the culture and language to better connect with his roots. “Every time I got called up,I felt a little bit more Cape Verdean and I was always proud to stick on the jersey.”
representing his family on the world’s biggest sporting stage is a source of immense pride.”Being able to represent my family playing for the national team and being able to put our family name out there…fills me with great pride and I hope it does likewise with my dad.”
Cape Verde, an archipelago of 10 islands with a population of just under 525,000 (according to the World Bank’s latest figures), gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and first attempted to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.The team has steadily risen in prominence, reaching the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) quarter-finals in both 2013 and 2023.
Their qualification for the 2026 World Cup makes Cape Verde only the second nation with a population under one million to reach the tournament, following Iceland’s appearance in 2018.
Lopes reflected on the decisive win that clinched their spot on Monday, stating, “We’re there on merit and it’s just an amazing feeling. It’s hard to put into words.” He credited their recent performance at Afcon for building confidence.”Being able to mix it with some of the top teams in Africa…we really felt we could achieve this.”
He added, “Going down to the last two games knowing it was in our hands was huge for us and in front of our people, our support, there was no better way to do it. We knew we had a chance of making history and we did it.”
