Cape Verde national football team
Men's association football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cape Verde national football team (Portuguese: Seleção nacional de futebol de Cabo Verde; recognized as Cabo Verde by FIFA[4]) represents Cape Verde in men's international football, and is controlled by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. The team is nicknamed Tubarões Azuis (Blue Sharks in Portuguese). The national team played its first match on 19 April 1978 against Guinea, a match they lost 0–1. Following the federation's affiliation with the Confederation of African Football and FIFA in 1982, the national team entered Africa Cup of Nations qualification for the first time in 1992 and made its first FIFA World Cup qualification appearance in 2003. The team is coached by Pedro Leitão Brito.
(Blue Sharks)[1]
Crioulos (Creoles)
| ||||
| 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 | Ryan Mendes | |||
| Most caps | Ryan Mendes (99) | |||
| Top scorer | Ryan Mendes (22)[2] | |||
| Home stadium | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde | |||
| FIFA code | CPV | |||
| ||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 67  2 (11 June 2026)[3] | |||
| Highest | 27 (February 2014) | |||
| Lowest | 182 (April 2000) | |||
| First international | ||||
 Cape Verde 0–1 Guinea  (Guinea-Bissau; 19 April 1978) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
 Cape Verde 7–1 São Tomé and Príncipe  (Praia, Cape Verde; 13 June 2015)  Liechtenstein 0–6 Cape Verde (San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain; 25 March 2022) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
 Senegal 5–1 Cape Verde (Mali; 12 February 1981) Cape Verde 0–4 Ghana  (Praia, Cape Verde; 8 October 2005) Guinea 4–0 Cape Verde (Conakry, Guinea; 9 September 2007)  Burkina Faso 4–0 Cape Verde (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 14 November 2017)  Algeria
5–1 Cape Verde (Constantine, Algeria; 12 October 2023) | ||||
| World Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2026) | |||
| Best result | To be determined | |||
| Africa Cup of Nations | ||||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2013) | |||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2013, 2023) | |||
Also known as "Creoles" (Portuguese: "Crioulos"), Cape Verde plays the majority of its home matches at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde. They qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2013. Since then, they also appeared in the 2015, 2021 and 2023 tournaments, reaching the quarter-finals in 2013 and 2023.
Cape Verde qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 2026, becoming the smallest country by land area and the second least populated (after Iceland) 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, until Curaçao broke these records five weeks later when they qualified for the same tournament.[5][6] In their opening match, they drew 0–0 against the reigning European champions Spain, and in their second match, they tied Uruguay 2–2.[7]
History
Early history
Cape Verde became independent from Portugal in 1975. The national team's first international was a 1–0 defeat to Guinea on 29 May 1978, in a tournament in Guinea-Bissau.[8] The Cape Verdean Football Federation was formed in 1982, and joined FIFA in 1986.[9]
On 2 November 2002, Cape Verde faced a non-African team for the first time, in a scoreless friendly against Luxembourg.
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 4 September 2009, Cape Verde faced Malta in a friendly, resulting in a 2–0 victory.
2010s
On 24 May 2010, Cape Verde played out a 0–0 draw in a friendly match against a full-strength Portugal.[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 the 2002 tournament, in which Cape Verde was eliminated in the first round after one draw and a defeat against Algeria.[13] In the qualification campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Cape Verde advanced to the final round after their first victory in a World Cup qualifier, beating Swaziland. In the final round, the team made an impression with its first-ever away victory against Burkina Faso, but finished fifth in its group and failed to qualify for either tournament.[13]
Then coach João de Deus from Portugal brought in several new players from European leagues for the World Cup and AFCON qualifiers.[10] Cape Verde finished second in its group in the second round, ahead of Tanzania and Mauritius, but behind Cameroon, and did not advance to the third round. Then, Cape Verde made their AFCON debut in 2013, after stunning Cameroon 3–2 on aggregate, following a 2–1 defeat at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaoundé, having won the home leg 2–0 in Praia.
Cape Verde were drawn into Group A of the finals, alongside Angola, Morocco and the host nation South Africa; they played the opening match of the tournament at Soccer City in Johannesburg, 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 with Morocco 1–1. Platini scored Cape Verde's first ever goal at the AFCON, before they won their first ever AFCON match against Angola, 2–1 (despite an early own goal by captain Nando Maria Neves), reaching the quarter-finals.
On 2 February 2013, Cape Verde faced Ghana in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port 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 the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Algeria, joining the host nation Equatorial Guinea after defeating Mozambique 1–0 at home.[15] The team, under newly appointed manager Rui Águas, picked up where Lúcio Antunes left off and managed to finish in the top two of the group stage with two matches remaining to play in the qualification process, having been drawn in a group together with Mozambique, Niger and Zambia.[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 with Zambia, Tunisia and DR Congo. On 18 January 2015 they played their first match against Tunisia at the Estadio de Ebibeyin. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Héldon leveling the score off a penalty 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 a tropical 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 the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota in Estoril.[21]
2020s
Cape Verde qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and were drawn into Group B. They defeated Ghana 2–1 in the first group stage match when Garry Rodrigues scored a late match-winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time. In their second match, Cape Verde defeated Mozambique 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 faced Egypt. 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 faced Mauritania, and captain Ryan 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.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Verde |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | Advance to knockout 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] |
Notes:
- Tied on head-to-head points. Overall goal difference: Ghana −1, Mozambique −3.
2026 World Cup
Cape Verde qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after winning its qualifying group in October 2025.[6]
In its opening game in that tournament, the team held the defending champions of Europe, Spain, to an unexpected goalless final result, getting its first ever point, in its very first appearance in that tournament, despite the Spaniards dominating possession most of the game.[22] In their second match, they tied Uruguay 2-2, scoring their first World Cup goals and once again exceeding expectations.[23]
Kit history
Stadiums
The national team played at Estádio da Várzea in Praia, on Santiago 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. The Tubarões Azuis matches have also been held at the 5,000-seat Adérito Sena Municipal Stadium in Mindelo.
Results and fixtures
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
2025
| 4 September 2026 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) |
| 9 September 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Cape Verde | 1–0 |  Cameroon | Praia, Cape Verde |
|
Report | Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Daniel Nii Laryea (Ghana) |
| 8 October 2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Libya  | 3–3 | Cape Verde | Tripoli, Libya |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Tripoli Stadium Referee: Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail (Sudan) |
| 13 October 2026 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) |
| 13 November 2025 Al Ain International Cup semi-final | Iran  | 0–0 (5–4 p) | 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 | ||||
| 17 November 2025 Al Ain International Cup third place match | Cape Verde | 1–1 (0–2 p) | 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 | ||||
2026
| 27 March 2026 FIFA Series | Chile  | 4–2 | Cape Verde | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 16:00 UTC+13 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Eden Park Referee: Calvin Berg (New Zealand) |
| 30 March 2026 FIFA Series | Cape Verde | 1–1 (4–2 p) |  Finland | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 16:00 UTC+13 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Eden Park Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (New Zealand) |
| Penalties | ||||
| 31 May Friendly | Cape Verde | 3–0 |  Serbia | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Report | Stadium: Estádio do Restelo Referee: João António Gonçalves (Portugal) |
| 6 June Friendly | Cape Verde | 3–0 |  Bermuda | East Hartford, Connecticut, United States |
| 16:00 UTC−4 | Report | Stadium: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field |
| 15 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H | Spain  | 0–0 | Cape Verde | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| 12:00 UTC−4 | Report | Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 67,640 Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan) |
| 21 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H | Uruguay  | 2–2 | Cape Verde | Miami Gardens, Florida, United States |
| 18:00 UTC−4 | Report | Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium Attendance: 64,003 Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway) |
| 26 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H | Cape Verde | v |  Saudi Arabia | Houston, Texas, United States |
| 19:00 UTC−5 | Report | Stadium: NRG Stadium |
| TBD 2027 AFCON qualification | Mali  | v | Cape Verde | TBD, Mali |
| TBD | Stadium: TBD |
| TBD 2027 AFCON qualification | Cape Verde | v | Mali | TBD, Cape Verde |
| TBD | Stadium: TBD |
| TBD 2027 AFCON qualification | Cape Verde | v |  Rwanda | TBD, Cape Verde |
| TBD | Stadium: TBD |
| TBD 2027 AFCON qualification | Rwanda | v | Cape Verde | TBD, Rwanda |
| TBD | Stadium: TBD |
| TBD 2027 AFCON qualification | Cape Verde | v |  Liberia | TBD, Cape Verde |
| TBD | Stadium: TBD |
| TBD 2027 AFCON qualification | Liberia | v | Cape Verde | TBD, Liberia |
| TBD | Stadium: TBD |
- Notes
- 1 Non FIFA 'A' international match
Coaching history
- Caretaker managers are listed in italics.
Carlos Alhinho (1985–1986)- Óscar (1998–2003)[24]
- Alexandre Alhinho (2003–2006)[25]
Ze Rui (2006)[26][27]
Ricardo da Rocha (2007)[27][28]- João de Deus (2008–2010)[29]
- Lúcio Antunes (2010–2013)[30]
- Rui Águas (2014–2016)[31]
- Beto (2016)
- Lúcio Antunes (2016–2018)
- Rui Águas (2018–2019)
- Janito Carvalho (2019–2020)
- Bubista (2020–present)
Players
Current squad
The following 26 players were called up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and for the pre-tournament friendly matches against Serbia on 31 May and Bermuda on 6 June 2026.[32]
Caps and goals correct as of 21 June 2026, after the match against Uruguay.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Vozinha (vice-captain) | 3 June 1986 | 92 | 0 |  Chaves |
| 12 | GK | Márcio Rosa | 23 February 1997 | 11 | 0 |  Montana |
| 23 | GK | CJ dos Santos | 24 August 2000 | 1 | 0 |  San Diego |
| 2 | DF | Stopira | 20 May 1988 | 61 | 4 | Torreense |
| 3 | DF | Diney Borges | 17 January 1995 | 34 | 2 |  Al Bataeh |
| 4 | DF | Pico Lopes | 17 June 1992 | 47 | 0 |  Shamrock Rovers |
| 5 | DF | Logan Costa | 1 April 2001 | 28 | 0 | Villarreal |
| 13 | DF | Sidny Lopes Cabral | 18 September 2003 | 13 | 3 |  Trabzonspor |
| 22 | DF | Steven Moreira | 13 August 1994 | 22 | 0 | Columbus Crew |
| 24 | DF | Wagner Pina | 3 November 2002 | 14 | 0 | Trabzonspor |
| 25 | DF | Kelvin Pires | 5 June 2000 | 6 | 1 | SJK |
| 6 | MF | Kevin Pina | 27 January 1997 | 33 | 4 |  Krasnodar |
| 7 | MF | Jovane Cabral | 14 June 1998 | 30 | 3 | Estrela Amadora |
| 8 | MF | João Paulo | 26 May 1998 | 42 | 1 |  FCSB |
| 10 | MF | Jamiro Monteiro | 23 November 1993 | 57 | 5 |  PEC Zwolle |
| 11 | MF | Garry Rodrigues (third captain) | 27 November 1990 | 62 | 10 |  Apollon Limassol |
| 14 | MF | Deroy Duarte | 4 July 1999 | 35 | 0 | Ludogorets Razgrad |
| 15 | MF | Laros Duarte | 28 February 1997 | 22 | 1 |  Puskás Akadémia |
| 16 | MF | Yannick Semedo | 29 December 1995 | 12 | 1 | Farense |
| 18 | MF | Telmo Arcanjo | 21 June 2001 | 18 | 1 | Vitória de Guimarães |
| 26 | MF | Hélio Varela | 3 May 2002 | 22 | 1 |  Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 9 | FW | Gilson Benchimol | 29 December 2001 | 22 | 6 | Akron Tolyatti |
| 17 | FW | Willy Semedo | 27 April 1994 | 39 | 3 | Omonia |
| 19 | FW | Dailon Livramento | 4 May 2001 | 23 | 7 | Casa Pia |
| 20 | FW | Ryan Mendes (captain) | 8 January 1990 | 99 | 22 | Iğdır |
| 21 | FW | Nuno da Costa | 10 February 1991 | 11 | 2 | İstanbul Başakşehir |
Recent call-ups
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 | Bruno Varela | 4 November 1994 | 8 | 0 | Al-Hazem |
v. Egypt, 17 November 2025 |
| DF | Jorginho Soares | 18 July 1999 | 1 | 0 | Montana |
v. Finland, 30 March 2025 |
| DF | Jójó | 19 May 2001 | 5 | 0 | Vizela |
v. Egypt, 17 November 2025 |
| DF | David Moreira | 18 April 2004 | 3 | 0 | Sporting B |
v. Egypt, 17 November 2025 |
| DF | Ricardo Santos | 18 June 1995 | 2 | 0 |  Swansea City |
v. Egypt, 17 November 2025 |
| MF | Jordan Mendes | 7 March 2004 | 1 | 0 |  Rodez |
v. Finland, 30 March 2025 |
| MF | Ayoni Santos | 18 July 2005 | 1 | 0 | Sparta Rotterdam |
v. Finland, 30 March 2025 |
| MF | Aílson Tavares | 20 July 1998 | 4 | 0 | Beitar Jerusalem |
v. Egypt, 17 November 2025 |
| FW | Ieltsin Camões | 16 April 1998 | 1 | 0 | Al Ahly |
v. Finland, 30 March 2025 |
| FW | Fabio Domingos | 5 October 2007 | 1 | 0 | Paris Saint-Germain Youth |
v. Finland, 30 March 2025 |
| FW | Heriberto Tavares | 19 February 1997 | 6 | 1 | Maccabi Netanya |
v. Egypt, 17 November 2025 |
| FW | Alessio da Cruz | 18 January 1997 | 5 | 0 | Anorthosis Famagusta |
v. Egypt, 17 November 2025 |
WD Player withdrew from the roster for non-injury related reasons. | ||||||
Records
- As of 21 June 2026[33]
- Players in bold are still active with Cape Verde.
Most appearances
.JPG)
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Mendes | 99 | 22 | 2010–present |
| 2 | Vozinha | 92 | 0 | 2012–present |
| 3 | Babanco | 62 | 5 | 2007–2019 |
| 4 | Garry Rodrigues | 62 | 10 | 2013–present |
| 5 | Stopira | 61 | 4 | 2007–present |
| 6 | Jamiro Monteiro | 57 | 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 |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Mendes | 22 | 99 | 0.22 | 2010–present |
| 2 | Héldon | 15 | 52 | 0.29 | 2008–2019 |
| 3 | Caló | 11 | 27 | 0.41 | 1995–2007 |
| 4 | Garry Rodrigues | 10 | 62 | 0.16 | 2013–present |
| 5 | Júlio Tavares | 8 | 48 | 0.17 | 2012–2022 |
| 6 | Lito | 7 | 47 | 0.15 | 2002–2012 |
| Dailon Livramento | 7 | 24 | 0.29 | 2024–present | |
| 8 | Toni | 6 | 11 | 0.55 | 1992–2003 |
| Gilson Benchimol | 6 | 22 | 0.27 | 2020–present | |
| Bebé | 6 | 27 | 0.22 | 2022–present | |
| Djaniny | 6 | 35 | 0.17 | 2012–present |
Competitive record
FIFA World Cup
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to 1974 | Part of Portugal |
Part of Portugal | ||||||||||||||
| 1978 and 1982 | Not a member of FIFA | Not a member of FIFA | ||||||||||||||
| 1986 to 1998 | 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 | 3 | 9 | 7 | |||||||||||
| 2018 |
8 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 13 | |||||||||||
 2022 |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | ||||||||||
  2026 |
in progress | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | Squad | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 8 | ||
 2030 |
TBD | TBD | ||||||||||||||
| 2034 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total:1/10 | TBD | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | N/a | 50 | 23 | 7 | 20 | 58 | 60 | ||
Africa Cup of Nations
| Africa Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1957 to 1974 | Part of Portugal |
Part of Portugal | ||||||||||||||
| 1976 to 1992 | 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 | 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 | 2 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 2017 |
Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 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 |
TBD | TBD | ||||||||||||||
 2029 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | Quarter-finals | 4/35 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 14 | 12 | N/a | 82 | 33 | 15 | 34 | 90 | 95 | |
Record against other nations
As of 21 June 2026 after match against Uruguay
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 |
| Bermuda | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 100% | 2026 | 2026 | CONCACAF |
 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 |
| Chile | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | –2 | 0% | 2026 | 2026 | CONMEBOL |
 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 |
| Finland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 2026 | 2026 | UEFA |
| 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 |
| Serbia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 100.00% | 2026 | 2026 | UEFA |
 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 |
| Spain | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 2026 | 2026 | UEFA |
| 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 |
| Uruguay | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 00.00% | 2026 | 2026 | CONMEBOL |
 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 (54) | 242 | 90 | 59 | 93 | 255 | 266 | –11 | 37.19% | 1979 | 2026 | FIFA |
