World Cup 2026: Knockout qualification a big reward for us – Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha has spoken with pride and emotion after his side secured a landmark qualification to the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup, describing the achievement as something “no one ever dreamt of” while insisting the team has always believed in its quality and resilience.

Speaking after the final whistle in a hard-fought result against Saudi Arabia, the veteran shot-stopper reflected on the perception that the island nation would struggle on football’s biggest stage — a narrative Cape Verde have now emphatically rewritten.

“I don’t think any of us ever dreamt of this,” Vozinha said. “But we know we’ve got a lot of quality, and when we arrived at the World Cup, perhaps many people thought we wouldn’t win a single match. But we’ve got a great team, and players of the highest calibre. And today, qualifying for the next round is very rewarding for us.”

The result confirms Cape Verde’s progression beyond the group phase, a milestone that places the team among the tournament’s most compelling breakthrough stories. For Vozinha, the achievement is not just about results, but recognition of a squad long underestimated on the global stage.

“We were very happy. It’s great for us, because we know we are from a small country, but we knew also that we would come here to compete,” he added. “There is a lot of quality in our national team. Maybe, for many of you, you think that the Cape Verdean player is not good enough, but we come here to show that we have a lot of quality, and we are here to compete, and our players can play everywhere in the big competitions, in the big leagues.”

Cape Verde’s progression has been widely attributed to a combination of tactical discipline, collective unity and an unshakable fighting spirit — qualities Vozinha believes reflect the identity of the nation itself.

“We have a lot of passion,” he said. “We grew up with a lot of difficulties, and our grandparents and our parents sacrificed a lot to educate all of us, and we knew how to value things. So I think we showed the resilience of the Cape Verdean people. We showed the passion we have for our country, and we also show that we are here to represent not just the players, but all the Cape Verdeans in all the world. We are small, but we have big hearts, and we are fighters.”

Looking ahead, Cape Verde now prepare for a blockbuster knockout encounter against Argentina, a fixture that carries both sporting challenge and global spotlight. For Vozinha, the occasion is nothing short of a dream.

“And playing against Argentina will be great for us. It’s a dream for any player to play against Argentina — and against Lionel Messi.”

As Cape Verde step into the next phase of the tournament, their veteran goalkeeper’s words capture the broader significance of their run: a team once expected to make up the numbers now standing tall among the competition’s elite, carrying with them the pride of a nation and the belief that they belong on football’s biggest stage.