Cape Verde announces squad for friendlies against Malaysia and Georgia

The Cape Verde national team has announced its list of players for friendly matches abroad against Malaysia and Georgia during the upcoming FIFA window. The Blue Sharks will face Malaysia twice on May 29 and June 3 in Kuala Lumpur before traveling to face Georgia in Kutaisi on June 8.

It will be a full strength squad for head coach Bubista who is looking to build and maintain squad chemistry in the midst of a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. Cape Verde are currently the top team in Group D, where they hold a one-point lead over Cameroon with the group winner earning direct qualification to the 2026 finals.

Veteran leaders like Garry Rodrigues, Ryan Mendes and goalkeeper Vozinha are included in Bubista’s list. The upcoming games will be Cape Verde’s first international friendly matches since March 2024 when they defeated both Equatorial Guinea and Guyana in 1-0 results.

Bubista has called up a few dual national players to examine for future competitive fixtures. Midfielders Elson Mendes (Sochaux, France) and David Costa (Toreense, Portugal) as well as forward Heriberto Tavares (Maccabi Netanya, Israel) are examples of players who could win their first cap. 28-year-old forward Tavares was previously a prolific goal scorer for the Portugal under-21 national team.

The Blue Sharks will begin their camp in Malaysia on May 26. Their next competitive games will arrive in September when 2026 World Cup qualifying concludes with two matches each in September and October.