Cabo Verde and the 2030 World Cup

Ranked 68th in the world, 13th in CAF. 21.6% to qualify in our simulations.

Updated 22 October 2026

68thFIFA ranking, of 211

13thof 54 in CAF

1374rating points

58 / 72attack / defence, out of 100

21.6%qualify (simulated)

Chances at the 2030 World Cup

Cabo Verde qualify in 21.6% of simulated campaigns: outsiders, but with a route that opens up often enough to be worth playing for. The single most likely outcome is not qualifying (78.4% of cycles).

When they are at the finals, Cabo Verde get out of their group 24.5% of the time; a quarter-final comes up in 0.2% of all cycles.

A 64-team World Cup would change the picture: with the extra places the simulator assumes for that format, Cabo Verde qualify in 28.7% of campaigns instead of 21.6%.

Qualify21.6%
Round of 325.3%
Round of 160.9%
Quarter-finals0.2%
Semi-finals<0.1%
Final<0.1%
Champions0%

Share of 20,000 simulated cycles, from first qualifier to final, in which Cabo Verde got at least this far. How the simulation works · All 211 nations

The route to the finals

Africa's qualifying is played in eight groups: only the group winners qualify, and the four best runners-up play off for a place in the inter-confederation play-off. Cabo Verde come in at the group stage.

There are 8 places for the 53 nations that have to qualify, plus one route through the inter-confederation play-off, where five teams from five confederations contest two more places on neutral ground. Cabo Verde end up in that play-off in 8.5% of simulated campaigns.

CAF qualifying in full: format, what is official and every nation's odds.

How strong are they?

Cabo Verde have 1373.58 points in the FIFA ranking published on 7 October 2026, which places them 68th in the world and 13th of the 54 nations in Africa. The simulator uses that points total directly as the team's rating.

Their attack score is 58 and their defence score 72, on a scale of 1 to 100 built from the last 30 internationals. The scores describe a side built on defence: fewer goals scored than its rating would suggest, and fewer conceded.

What the match engine expects from Cabo Verde in three fixtures, over ninety minutes.
Opponent	Fixture	Expected goals	Win	Draw	Lose
Ghana	At home to the next side in the CAF ranking	1.52 – 1.16	44%	28%	28%
Morocco	At home to CAF's highest-ranked side	0.58 – 2.26	7%	18%	74%
Spain	Against the top-ranked side from another confederation, on neutral ground	0.27 – 2.48	3%	13%	84%

Around them in CAF

Cabo Verde and the nations ranked around them in CAF.
In CAF	Nation	FIFA rank	Points	Qualifies	Champion
10	South Africa	48	1469	39.0%	0%
11	Tunisia	61	1415	26.6%	0%
12	Burkina Faso	62	1408	26.5%	0%
13	Cabo Verde	68	1374	21.6%	0%
14	Ghana	70	1361	19.1%	0%
15	Guinea	82	1297	12.4%	0%
16	Angola	83	1282	12.3%	0%

Cabo Verde at the World Cup

1World Cup played

Round of 32best finish · 2026

2026last World Cup

They have played at one World Cup, in 2026. Their best finish is the round of 32, in 2026.

At the 2026 World Cup they reached the round of 32, with 0 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat in 4 matches (goals 4–5). Before the tournament, the 2026 simulator had them reaching the round of 32 in 24.3% of 50,000 simulated tournaments. How the simulator's numbers compared with the whole tournament.

Cabo Verde's matches at the 2026 World Cup. The last column is the 2026 simulator's chance, before the tournament, of the result that happened — in a knock-out match, of the side that went through doing so.
Date	Round	Opponent	Score	Chance beforehand
15 June	Group stage	Spain	0–0	9%
21 June	Group stage	Uruguay	2–2	16%
27 June	Group stage	Saudi Arabia	0–0	24%
3 July	Round of 32	Argentina	2–3 (aet)	94%

Play it out: take Cabo Verde through Africa's qualifying, or change their rating in the team editor and see what it takes.

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