World Cup: Former Cape Verde coach encourages further dual national recruitment following qualification

Portuguese coach Rui Águas expressed optimism that Cape Verde’s first-ever qualification for the World Cup will accelerate the recruitment of more dual national players to the Blue Sharks as well as increased development of the nation’s football and sports scene.

Águas led the national team on two occasions (2014-2016 and 2018-2019) and described why the increase of dual national players has been a successful mission, resulting in the country’s biggest sporting accomplishment this week following a 3-0 victory over Eswatini:

“It’s difficult to recruit in Cape Verde, where the national championship is not professional and players rarely reach the necessary level.”

“We often encountered dual nationality athletes who played in Portugal, the Netherlands, or France and, because of their age at the time, wanted to wait for an opportunity with the national teams of their countries of residence. No one flew out to talk to them. As far as I remember, that never happened. We made every possible contact, by phone or on social media, and we received information from emigrants,” Águas said to Inforpress.

How dual national players boosted Cape Verde’s World Cup qualification

The most famous example is the recruitment of Roberto “Pico” Lopes, the native of Ireland who was brought in by Águas during his second spell in charge. Águas himself reached out to the Shamrock Rovers central defender via social networking site LinkedIn, where Pico ignored an initial invitation in Portuguese before responding to a second message in English. Lopes has now made 42 appearances since his debut in 2019, becoming a key member of a strong Blue Sharks defense.

A career highlight and a dream come true, followed by a race against time to get home for Cape Verde centre-back Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes! #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/cxBelXYnBt

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 14, 2025

“I realized the value (Pico) had for such a difficult, important, and decisive position, and he managed to bring the team to a level of security it had never experienced before. It was very good, and I was somewhat fortunate that he showed that openness. He’s a guy with a very friendly, harmonious, and collaborative spirit,” Águas said.

25 of the 37 players involved in Cape Verde’s successful World Cup qualifying campaign were born outside the country. But for Águas, the most important thing is utilizing the upcoming opportunity to promote the island nation and set in motion programs to improve infrastructure in sports as well as other departments.

“Cape Verde can benefit, not only in sport, but in several areas. Going to the World Cup will boost the value of football in a small and poor country, and we must maximize the opportunities this offers. They make a significant living from tourism, and I’m sure this will increase. Then, other responsibilities arise. I believe there should be some investment in infrastructure and coaches, who are the foundation of player development. I only see advantages.”