 | ||||
| Nickname(s) | Tubarões Azuis (Blue Sharks)[1] Crioulos (Creoles) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federação Caboverdiana de Futebol (FCF) | |||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
| Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | |||
| Head coach | Bubista | |||
| Captain | Vozinha | |||
| Mostcaps | Ryan Mendes (94) | |||
| Top scorer | Ryan Mendes (22)[2] | |||
| Home stadium | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde | |||
| FIFA code | CPV | |||
| ||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 67 (19 January 2026)[3] | |||
| Highest | 27 (February 2014) | |||
| Lowest | 182 (April 2000) | |||
| First international | ||||
 Cape Verde 0–1Guinea  (Guinea-Bissau; 19 April 1978) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
 Cape Verde 7–1São Tomé and Príncipe  (Praia, Cape Verde; 13 June 2015)  Liechtenstein 0–6Cape Verde (San Pedro del Pinatar,Spain; 25 March 2022) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
 Senegal 5–1Cape Verde (Mali; 12 February 1981) Cape Verde 0–4Ghana  (Praia, Cape Verde; 8 October 2005) Guinea 4–0Cape Verde (Conakry,Guinea; 9 September 2007)  Burkina Faso 4–0Cape Verde (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 14 November 2017)  Algeria 5–1Cape Verde (Constantine,Algeria; 12 October 2023) | ||||
| World Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in2026) | |||
| Best result | TBD (2026) | |||
| Africa Cup of Nations | ||||
| Appearances | 4 (first in2013) | |||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2013,2023) | |||
TheCape Verde national football team (Portuguese:Seleção nacional de futebol de Cabo Verde; recognized asCabo Verde byFIFA[5]), representsCape Verde in men's internationalfootball, and is controlled by theCape Verdean Football Federation. The team is nicknamedTubarões Azuis (Blue Sharks in Portuguese). The national team played its first match on 19 April 1978 againstGuinea, a match they lost 1–0. Following the federation's affiliation with theConfederation of African Football and FIFA in 1982, the national team enteredAfrica Cup of Nations qualification for the first time in 1992 and made its firstFIFA World Cup qualification appearance in 2003. The team is coached byPedro Leitão Brito.
Also known as “Creoles” (Portuguese:“Crioulos”), Cape Verde plays the majority of its home matches at theEstádio Nacional de Cabo Verde. They qualified for theAfrica Cup of Nations for the first time2013. Since then, they also appeared in the2015,2021 and2023 tournaments, reaching the quarter-finals in 2013 and 2023.
Cape Verde qualified to theFIFA World Cup for the first time in2026. By doing so, they became the smallest country by land area and the second least populated (afterIceland) to qualify for the World Cup, with a land area of 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 sq mi) and a population of just under 525,000 untilCuraçao broke their land area and population records five weeks later when they qualified for the same tournament.[6][7]
Cape Verde became independent fromPortugal in 1975. The national team's first international was a 1–0 defeat toGuinea on 29 May 1978, in a tournament inGuinea-Bissau.[8] TheCape Verdean Football Federation was formed in 1982, and joinedFIFA in 1986.[9]
On 2 November 2002, Cape Verde faced a non-African team for the first time, in a scoreless friendly againstLuxembourg.
Cape Verdeans abroad, who are more numerous than the population of the islands themselves, are a major source of players for the national team. Most of Cape Verde's current international footballers play outside Cape Verde (mainly in Europe, but also in Asia), and some were born outside the islands.[10]
On 24 May 2010, Cape Verde played out a 0–0 draw in a friendly match against a full-strengthPortugal.[11] At the time, Portugal was third in the FIFA rankings and Cape Verde were 117th.[12]
Their first World Cup qualifying campaign was for the2002 tournament, in which Cape Verde was eliminated in the first round after one draw and a defeat againstAlgeria.[13] In thequalification campaign for the2006 FIFA World Cup and the2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Cape Verde advanced to the final round after their first victory in a World Cup qualifier, beatingSwaziland. In the final round, the team made an impression with its first-ever away victory againstBurkina Faso, but finished fifth inits group and failed to qualify for either tournament.[13]
On 4 September 2009, Cape Verde facedMalta in a friendly, resulting in a 2–0 victory.
Old coachJoão de Deus from Portugal brought in several new players from European leagues for theWorld Cup andAFCONqualifiers.[10] Cape Verde finished second in its group in thesecond round, ahead ofTanzania andMauritius, but behindCameroon, and did not advance to thethird round. Then, Cape Verde made their AFCON debut in2013, after stunning Cameroon 3–2on aggregate, following a 2–1 defeat at theStade Ahmadou Ahidjo inYaoundé, having won the home leg 2–0 inPraia.
Cape Verde were drawn into Group A of thefinals, alongsideAngola,Morocco and the host nationSouth Africa; they played the opening match of the tournament atSoccer City inJohannesburg, Gauteng, against the hosts on 19 January 2013. Pulled from the fourth pot during the group stage drawing of the tournament, Cape Verde actually had the highest FIFA ranking of any team in their group at the time of the drawing, ranking at 51st overall, followed by Morocco (71st), South Africa (72nd) and Angola (83rd).
Cape Verde drew with South Africa 0–0 in the tournament's first match, before drawing withMorocco 1–1.Platini scored Cape Verde's first ever goal at the AFCON, before they won their first ever AFCON match againstAngola, 2–1 (despite an early own goal by captainNando Maria Neves), reaching the quarter-finals.
On 2 February 2013, Cape Verde facedGhana in theNelson Mandela Bay Stadium inPort Elizabeth, registering 16 shots on Ghana's goal to their eight, with seven shots on target to their two. Ghana eventually knocked Cape Verde out.[14]
On 15 October 2014, Cape Verde became the first of two nations to qualify for the2015 Africa Cup of Nations alongsideAlgeria, joining the host nationEquatorial Guinea after defeating Mozambique 1–0 at home.[15] The team, under newly appointed managerRui Águas, picked up whereLúcio Antunes left off and managed to finish in the top two of thegroup stage with two matches remaining to play in the qualification process, having been drawn in a group together withMozambique,Niger andZambia.[16] On 15 November 2014, Cape Verde secured first place in their group, finishing as Group F winners by defeating Niger 3–1 at home, with one match remaining to play for qualification.[17]
Cape Verde were drawn into Group B of the final tournament, together withZambia,Tunisia andDR Congo. On 18 January 2015 they played their first match against Tunisia at theEstadio de Ebibeyin. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, withHéldon leveling the score off apenalty kick in the 78th minute. Cape Verde then drew 0–0 against DR Congo four days later, with their group stage placement depending on the final match results of both teams.[18] Facing off against Zambia on 26 January, the match ended in 0–0 draw, leaving both Cape Verde and Zambia eliminated from the Cup.[19] Contested during atropical storm, with 26 mm (1.0 in) of rainfall, Cape Verde exited the tournament tied with DR Congo for points and undefeated, finishing behind them on goal difference.[20]
On 31 March 2015, Cape Verde won 2–0 against Portugal at theEstádio António Coimbra da Mota inEstoril.[21]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Verde | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 |  Egypt | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Ghana | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 2[a] | |
| 4 |  Mozambique | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 2[a] |
Cape Verde qualified for the2023 Africa Cup of Nations and were drawn into Group B. They defeatedGhana 2–1 in the first group stage match whenGarry Rodrigues scored a late match-winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time. In their second match, Cape Verde defeatedMozambique 3-0. This result, along with others in the group, meant that Cape Verde entered the final group match already having secured passage to the knockout stage as the winners of Group B. In the last group stage match, Cape Verde facedEgypt. After the Egypt had scored a go-ahead stoppage time goal,Bryan Teixeira equalised deep into stoppage time to secure a 2–2 draw. In the Round of 16, Cape Verde facedMauritania, and captainRyan Mendes scored a crucial penalty late in the second half to send them to the quarter-finals, where Cape Verde faced South Africa. The match ended in a goalless draw after 120 minutes, thus sending it to penalties. Cape Verde were knocked out of the tournament after failing to convert four of their five penalty kicks, losing the shootout 1–2.
Cape Verde qualified for the2026 FIFA World Cup after winning their qualifying group in October 2025.[7]
| Kit providers | Period |
|---|---|
 Adidas | 1978–1992 |
 Duarig | 1992–1993 |
 Saillev | 1994–2001 |
| Tepa | 2002–2007 |
 Erreà | 2008–2009 |
 KS Sport | 2010–2011 |
| Adidas | 2012 |
| Tepa | 2013 |
 Hummel | 2014-2015 |
| Lacatoni | 2016–2017 |
| Adidas | 2018–2021 |
 Tempo Sport | 2022–2026 |
 Capelli Sport | 2026–present |
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(October 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The national team played at Estádio da Várzea inPraia, onSantiago Island. The stadium reopened in 2006 and has a capacity of 8,000.
Currently, the team plays the majority of its home matches at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde. TheTubarões Azuis matches have also been held at the 5,000-seatAdérito Sena Municipal Stadium inMindelo.
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
v Cape Verde| 19 November 2024 (2024-11-19)2025 AFCON qualifier | Mauritania | 1–0 | Cape Verde | Nouakchott, Mauritania |
| 15:00 UTC+0 |
| Report | Stadium:Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium Referee: Lahlou Benbraham (Algeria) |
v
Mauritius| 20 March2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Cape Verde | 1–0 | Mauritius | Praia, Cape Verde |
| 17:00 |
| Report | Stadium:Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Yannick Malala Kabanga (DR Congo) |
v Cape Verde| 25 March2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Angola | 1–2 | Cape Verde | Luanda, Angola |
| 17:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Estádio 11 de Novembro Referee:Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria) |
v Cape Verde| 29 MayFriendly | Malaysia | 0–3 Awarded[a] | Cape Verde | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 21:00 UTC+8 | Report | Stadium:Kuala Lumpur Stadium Attendance: 10,708 Referee: Mongkolchai Pechhri (Thailand) |
v Cape Verde| 3 JuneClosed-Door Friendly1 | Malaysia | 0–3 | Cape Verde | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 21:00 UTC+8 | Report |
| Stadium:Bukit Jalil National Stadium Attendance: 0 |
v Cape Verde| 8 JuneFriendly | Georgia | 1–1 | Cape Verde | Kutaisi, Georgia |
Lobzhanidze 45+1' | Report | R. Mendes 78' | Stadium:Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Referee: Henrik Nalbandyan (Armenia) |
v Cape Verde| 4 September2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Mauritius | 0–2 | Cape Verde | Saint Pierre, Mauritius |
| 20:00 UTC+4 | Report | Stadium:Côte d'Or National Sports Complex Referee: Mohamed Diraneh Guedi (Djibouti) |
v
Cameroon| 9 September2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Cape Verde | 1–0 | Cameroon | Praia, Cape Verde |
| Report | Stadium:Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee:Daniel Nii Laryea (Ghana) |
v Cape Verde| 8 October2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Libya | 3–3 | Cape Verde | Tripoli, Libya |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium:Tripoli Stadium Referee: Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail (Sudan) |
v
Eswatini| 13 October2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Cape Verde | 3–0 | Eswatini | Praia, Cape Verde |
| 15:00 UTC−1 |
| Report | Stadium:Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Ahmed Arajiga (Tanzania) |
v Cape Verde| 13 November2025 Al Ain International Cup semi-final | Iran | 0–0 (5–4p) | Cape Verde | Al Ain, United Arab Emirates |
| 20:00 UTC+4 | Report | Stadium:Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Referee: Mohamed Al-Harmoodi (United Arab Emirates) | ||
| Penalties | ||||
v Egypt| 17 November2025 Al Ain International Cup third place match | Cape Verde | 1–1 (0–2p) | Egypt | Al Ain, United Arab Emirates |
| 17:00 | Report |
| Stadium:Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Attendance: 2,300 Referee: Rawdha Al Mansoori (United Arab Emirates) | |
| Penalties | ||||
v Cape Verde| 27 March2026 FIFA Series | Chile | v | Cape Verde | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 16:00 UTC+13 | Stadium:Eden Park |
v
Finland| 30 March2026 FIFA Series | Cape Verde | v | Finland | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 16:00 UTC+13 | Stadium:Eden Park |
v
Haiti| 6 JuneFriendly | Cape Verde | v | Haiti | TBD, United States |
v Cape Verde| 15 June2026 FIFA World Cup GS | Spain | v | Cape Verde | Atlanta, United States |
| 12:00 UTC−4 | Report | Stadium:Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
v Cape Verde| 21 June2026 FIFA World Cup GS | Uruguay | v | Cape Verde | Miami Gardens, United States |
| 18:00 UTC−4 | Report | Stadium:Hard Rock Stadium |
v
Saudi Arabia| 26 June2026 FIFA World Cup GS | Cape Verde | v | Saudi Arabia | Houston, United States |
| 19:00 UTC−5 | Report | Stadium:NRG Stadium |
Carlos Alhinho (1985–1986)Óscar (1998–2003)[22]Alexandre Alhinho (2003–2006)[23]Ze Rui (2006)[24][25]
Ricardo da Rocha (2007)[25][26]João de Deus (2008–2010)[27]Lúcio Antunes (2010–2013)[28]Rui Águas (2014–2016)[29]Beto (2016)Lúcio Antunes (2016–2018)Rui Águas (2018–2019)Janito Carvalho (2019–2020)Bubista (2020–present)The following players were selected for the2025 Al Ain International Cup matches againstIran andEgypt on 14 and 17 November, respectively.[30][31]
Caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2025, after the match againstEgypt.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Vozinha | (1986-06-03)3 June 1986 (age 39) | 84 | 0 | Chaves |
| 12 | 1GK | Márcio Rosa | (1997-02-23)23 February 1997 (age 28) | 9 | 0 |  Montana |
| 23 | 1GK | Bruno Varela | (1994-11-04)4 November 1994 (age 31) | 8 | 0 | Al-Hazem |
| 2 | 2DF | Stopira | (1988-05-20)20 May 1988 (age 37) | 60 | 4 | Torreense |
| 3 | 2DF | Diney | (1995-01-17)17 January 1995 (age 31) | 28 | 2 |  Al Bataeh |
| 4 | 2DF | Ricardo Santos | (1995-06-18)18 June 1995 (age 30) | 2 | 0 |  Swansea City |
| 5 | 2DF | Kelvin Pires | (2000-06-05)5 June 2000 (age 25) | 3 | 0 | SJK |
| 7 | 2DF | Wagner Pina | (2002-11-03)3 November 2002 (age 23) | 10 | 0 |  Trabzonspor |
| 13 | 2DF | Sidny Lopes Cabral | (2003-09-18)18 September 2003 (age 22) | 6 | 2 | Estrela da Amadora |
| 22 | 2DF | Jójó | (2001-05-19)19 May 2001 (age 24) | 5 | 0 | Vizela |
| 26 | 2DF | David Moreira | (2004-04-18)18 April 2004 (age 21) | 3 | 0 | Sporting CP |
| 6 | 3MF | Kevin Pina | (1997-01-27)27 January 1997 (age 29) | 28 | 2 |  Krasnodar |
| 8 | 3MF | João Paulo | (1998-05-26)26 May 1998 (age 27) | 38 | 1 |  FCSB |
| 10 | 3MF | Jamiro Monteiro | (1993-11-23)23 November 1993 (age 32) | 53 | 5 |  PEC Zwolle |
| 14 | 3MF | Deroy Duarte | (1999-07-04)4 July 1999 (age 26) | 28 | 0 | Ludogorets Razgrad |
| 15 | 3MF | Laros Duarte | (1997-02-28)28 February 1997 (age 28) | 10 | 0 |  Puskás Akadémia |
| 18 | 3MF | Telmo Arcanjo | (2001-06-21)21 June 2001 (age 24) | 13 | 1 | Vitória de Guimarães |
| 25 | 3MF | Aílson Tavares | (1998-07-20)20 July 1998 (age 27) | 4 | 0 |  Beitar Jerusalem |
| 9 | 4FW | Dailon Livramento | (2001-05-04)4 May 2001 (age 24) | 19 | 6 | Casa Pia |
| 11 | 4FW | Garry Rodrigues | (1990-11-27)27 November 1990 (age 35) | 57 | 9 |  Apollon Limassol |
| 16 | 4FW | Alessio da Cruz | (1997-01-18)18 January 1997 (age 29) | 5 | 0 | Athletic |
| 17 | 4FW | Willy Semedo | (1994-04-27)27 April 1994 (age 31) | 34 | 2 | Omonia |
| 19 | 4FW | Hélio Varela | (2002-05-03)3 May 2002 (age 23) | 19 | 0 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 20 | 4FW | Ryan Mendes(captain) | (1990-01-08)8 January 1990 (age 36) | 92 | 22 | Iğdır |
| 21 | 4FW | Nuno da Costa | (1991-02-10)10 February 1991 (age 35) | 5 | 1 | İstanbul Başakşehir |
| 24 | 4FW | Heriberto Tavares | (1997-02-19)19 February 1997 (age 28) | 6 | 1 | Maccabi Netanya |
The following players have been called up for Cape Verde in the last 12 months and are still eligible to represent.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Henrique Tavares | (2002-07-29)29 July 2002 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | Rousset | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| DF | Steven Moreira | (1994-08-13)13 August 1994 (age 31) | 17 | 0 | Columbus Crew | 2025 Al Ain International CupWD |
| DF | Pico | (1992-06-17)17 June 1992 (age 33) | 42 | 0 |  Shamrock Rovers | v. Eswatini, 13 October 2025 |
| DF | Logan Costa | (2001-04-01)1 April 2001 (age 24) | 26 | 0 | Villarreal | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| DF | Kristopher Da Graca | (1998-01-16)16 January 1998 (age 28) | 3 | 0 | Krasava Ypsonas | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| DF | Bruno Almeida | (2000-07-02)2 July 2000 (age 25) | 1 | 0 | Atlético | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| DF | Yuran Fernandes | (1994-10-19)19 October 1994 (age 31) | 1 | 0 |  PSM Makassar | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| DF | Rivaldo Morais | (2000-09-18)18 September 2000 (age 25) | 1 | 0 | Farense | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| MF | Yannick Semedo | (1995-12-29)29 December 1995 (age 30) | 8 | 1 | Farense | v. Eswatini, 13 October 2025 |
| MF | Fabrício Garcia | (2001-05-04)4 May 2001 (age 24) | 6 | 0 | Estoril | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| MF | Stéphane Cueni | (2001-03-14)14 March 2001 (age 24) | 2 | 0 |  Winterthur | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| MF | Elson Mendes | (2005-09-18)18 September 2005 (age 20) | 2 | 0 | Sochaux | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| MF | Jordan Semedo | (2003-01-15)15 January 2003 (age 23) | 2 | 0 | Slavia Sofia | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| MF | David Costa | (2004-01-12)12 January 2004 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | Torreense | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| MF | Ilano Silva Timas | (2002-09-29)29 September 2002 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | MVV | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| MF | Sidnei Tavares | (2001-09-29)29 September 2001 (age 24) | 0 | 0 |  Blackburn Rovers | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| MF | David Tavares | (1999-03-18)18 March 1999 (age 26) | 5 | 0 |  Turan Tovuz | v. Angola, 25 March 2025 |
| FW | Jovane Cabral | (1998-06-14)14 June 1998 (age 27) | 24 | 2 | Estrela Amadora | v. Cameroon, 9 September 2025 |
| FW | Gilson Benchimol | (2001-12-29)29 December 2001 (age 24) | 21 | 5 | Akron Tolyatti | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| FW | Bryan Teixeira | (2000-09-01)1 September 2000 (age 25) | 6 | 1 | LASK | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| FW | Duk | (2000-02-16)16 February 2000 (age 25) | 6 | 0 | Leganés | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| FW | Alvin Fortes | (1994-04-25)25 April 1994 (age 31) | 2 | 0 | Selangor | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
| FW | Rúben Pina | (2000-01-20)20 January 2000 (age 26) | 2 | 0 | Chaves | v. Georgia, 8 June 2025 |
WD Player withdrew from the roster for non-injury related reasons. | ||||||
.JPG)
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Mendes | 92 | 22 | 2010–present |
| 2 | Vozinha | 84 | 0 | 2012–present |
| 3 | Babanco | 62 | 5 | 2007–2019 |
| 4 | Stopira | 60 | 4 | 2007–present |
| 5 | Garry Rodrigues | 57 | 9 | 2013–present |
| 6 | Jamiro Monteiro | 53 | 5 | 2016–present |
| 7 | Héldon | 52 | 15 | 2008–2019 |
| Marco Soares | 52 | 3 | 2006–2021 | |
| Fernando Varela | 52 | 3 | 2008–2019 | |
| 10 | Júlio Tavares | 48 | 8 | 2012–2022 |
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Mendes | 22 | 92 | 0.24 | 2010–present |
| 2 | Héldon | 15 | 52 | 0.29 | 2008–2019 |
| 3 | Caló | 11 | 27 | 0.41 | 1995–2007 |
| 4 | Garry Rodrigues | 9 | 57 | 0.16 | 2013–present |
| 5 | Júlio Tavares | 8 | 48 | 0.17 | 2012–2022 |
| 6 | Lito | 7 | 47 | 0.15 | 2002–2012 |
| 7 | Toni | 6 | 11 | 0.55 | 1992–2003 |
| Dailon Livramento | 6 | 19 | 0.32 | 2024–present | |
| Bebé | 6 | 27 | 0.22 | 2022–present | |
| Djaniny | 6 | 35 | 0.17 | 2012–present |
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
| 1930 to1974 | Part of Portugal | Part of Portugal | |||||||||||||||
| 1978 and1982 | Not a member of FIFA | Not a member of FIFA | |||||||||||||||
| 1986 to1998 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
  2002 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 2006 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 16 | |||||||||||
 2010 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 7 | |||||||||||
| 2018 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 13 | |||||||||||
 2022 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | |||||||||||
  2026 | Qualified | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Squad | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 8 | |||
 2030 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| 2034 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | — | 1/10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 22 | 8 | 20 | 52 | 57 | |||
| Africa Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |||
| 1957 to1974 | Part of Portugal | Part of Portugal | ||||||||||||||||
| 1976 to1992 | Not a member of CAF | Not a member of CAF | ||||||||||||||||
 1994 | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 1996 | Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||||
 2000 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||||
 2002 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
 2004 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 2006 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| 2010 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | ||||||||||||
  2012 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| 2013 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Squad | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | |||
| 2015 | Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Squad | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | |||
| 2017 | Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | |||||||||||
| 2019 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | Round of 16 | 15th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Squad | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 3 | |||
 2023 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | Squad | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | |||
| 2025 | Did not qualify | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | |||||||||||
   2027 | To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||||
 2029 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | Quarter-finals | 4/35 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 14 | 12 | — | 82 | 33 | 15 | 34 | 90 | 95 | |||
As of 17 November 2025 after match againstEgypt
Positive Record Neutral Record Negative Record
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | % Win | First meeting | Last meeting | Federation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 16.67% | 2000 | 2023 | CAF |
 Andorra | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 50% | 2018 | 2020 | UEFA |
| Angola | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 37.5% | 1988 | 2025 | CAF |
 Bahrain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100% | 2022 | 2022 | AFC |
 Botswana | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | –2 | 0% | 2024 | 2024 | CAF |
| Burkina Faso | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | –4 | 44.44% | 2004 | 2023 | CAF |
| Cameroon | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 12 | –2 | 22.22% | 2008 | 2025 | CAF |
 Central African Republic | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 50% | 2021 | 2021 | CAF |
 Comoros | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | –1 | 0% | 2023 | 2023 | CAF |
 DR Congo | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | –1 | 0% | 2004 | 2015 | CAF |
 Ecuador | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | –1 | 0% | 2022 | 2022 | CONMEBOL |
| Egypt | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | –3 | 0% | 2024 | 2025 | CAF |
| Equatorial Guinea | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 100% | 2009 | 2024 | CAF |
| Eswatini | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 66.67% | 2003 | 2025 | CAF |
 Ethiopia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100% | 2022 | 2022 | CAF |
| Gabon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 2013 | 2013 | CAF |
 Gambia | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 13 | –6 | 22.22% | 1982 | 2007 | CAF |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 2025 | 2025 | UEFA |
| Ghana | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | –6 | 42.85% | 2001 | 2024 | CAF |
 Guadeloupe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100% | 2022 | 2022 | CONCACAF |
| Guinea | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | –4 | 25.00% | 1982 | 2020 | CAF |
 Guinea-Bissau | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 38.46% | 1979 | 2010 | CAF |
 Guyana | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100% | 2024 | 2024 | CAF |
| Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 2025 | 2025 | AFC |
| Kenya | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | –1 | 25.00% | 2002 | 2015 | CAF |
 Lesotho | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 2018 | 2019 | CAF |
 Liberia | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 66.67% | 2000 | 2021 | CAF |
| Libya | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 50.00% | 2015 | 2025 | CAF |
| Liechtenstein | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 100% | 2022 | 2022 | UEFA |
 Luxembourg | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 25.00% | 2002 | 2017 | UEFA |
 Madagascar | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 100% | 2012 | 2012 | CAF |
| Mali | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 15 | –8 | 30.76% | 1981 | 2011 | CAF |
| Mauritania | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 50.00% | 1982 | 2024 | CAF |
| Mauritius | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 100% | 2008 | 2025 | CAF |
| Morocco | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | –3 | 0% | 2013 | 2023 | CAF |
| Mozambique | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 60.00% | 2014 | 2024 | CAF |
 Niger | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 100% | 2014 | 2014 | CAF |
| Nigeria | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | –1 | 0% | 2013 | 2021 | CAF |
| Portugal | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | –1 | 33.33% | 2006 | 2015 | UEFA |
 Rwanda | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 2020 | 2020 | CAF |
 San Marino | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100% | 2022 | 2022 | UEFA |
| Senegal | 20 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 34 | –26 | 10.00% | 1979 | 2022 | CAF |
 Sierra Leone | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 14 | –7 | 30.76% | 1983 | 2022 | CAF |
| South Africa | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 33.33% | 2004 | 2024 | CAF |
| Tanzania | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 50.00% | 2008 | 2018 | CAF |
 Togo | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 60.00% | 2003 | 2023 | CAF |
| Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | –4 | 0% | 2012 | 2015 | CAF |
| Uganda | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | –2 | 25.00% | 2004 | 2018 | CAF |
 Zambia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 33.33% | 2014 | 2015 | CAF |
 Zimbabwe | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 50.00% | 2010 | 2011 | CAF |
| Total (49) | 236 | 88 | 56 | 92 | 243 | 259 | –16 | 37.44% | 1979 | 2025 | FIFA |
| National teams |
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| League system |
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| Domestic cups |
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| Awards | |||||
| Lists | |||||
| North Africa (UNAF) | |
|---|---|
| West Africa (WAFU) | |
| East Africa (CECAFA) | |
| Central Africa (UNIFFAC) | |
| Southern Africa (COSAFA) | |
| Non-regional Members | |
