Cape Verde are days away from making their World Cup debut.

With a head coach nicknamed after the island of his birth and only seven full-time staff members, the tiny African archipelago are about to take on former world champions Spain and Uruguay as well as Saudi Arabia in North America.

But what do you need to know about the Blue Sharks ahead of their maiden appearance on the greatest stage in international football?

In the first of our four-part series on the debutants at the 2026 World Cup, we talk through the once Portuguese colony’s unique recruitment strategy – from LinkedIn DMs to Rotterdam recruits – and assess their chances of a Group H upset.

Plus, New Zealand’s Tim Payne becomes an overnight viral sensation and Haiti’s Josué Duverger prepares to swap fifth-tier German side Cosmos Koblenz for World Cup duty.

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Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:57 – The coach: Bubista & seven staff

03:05 – The players: Diaspora & LinkedIn

07:54 – Qualifying: Windy win over Eswatini

11:04 – Group: Spain, Uruguay & Saudi Arabia

13:30 – Our new partner: Golaço Kits

15:25 – Tim Payne: NZ’s overnight sensation

18:28 – Josué Duverger: Haiti’s fifth-tier keeper