Weekly Roundup | 12/01/2025
A weekly roundup of all things football in Cabo Verde
International
Cabo Verde placed in Pot 4 of World Cup draw
Cabo Verde were placed in Pot 4 for the upcoming FIFA ‘26 World Cup Final Draw. The draw takes place on December 6th and will establish the Tubarões Azuis’ group opponents and where they will be playing their games. Given the large Cabo Verde diaspora in the New England area of the US, Boston could be a preferred location. I myself would like to see them face off in the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
There are some interesting potential groupings with Cabo Verde potentially being in a group with either Brazil or Portugal (though not both as they are in Pot 1). They won’t be grouped with other CAF nations so that rules out any groupings with Morocco or Senegal from Pot 2 as well as Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, or South Africa from Pot 3.
FCF sign sponsorship deal with BAI
The Cabo Verdean Football Federation (FCF) signed a sponsorship deal with BAI, Banco Angolano de Investimentos, to support the national teams and the development of football in Cabo Verde. The agreement covers both the men’s and women’s teams and will help to support the federation as it competes in its first World Cup and WAFCON tournaments.
Buses provided to remaining regions for sport transportation
The FCF also received buses for the transport of clubs and academies as part of the second phase of FIFA’s Forward Development Program. The buses were provided to the regions of Sal, Santiago Sul, Santo Antão Norte, and São Vicente. The other seven regional associations had already received transport in the previous phase.
FCF President, Mário Semedo, praised the program and said that the buses represent a substantial improvement, particularly for several regions in which transportation represented a significant burden for clubs. Regional association leaders have often highlighted the challenges that transportation imposes and that the investment comes at a pivotal time for the leagues and teams as seasons and competitions get underway.
Boa Vista
Taça Bubista kicks off
The Taça Bubista is underway and África Show and Desportivo are the first teams to book their places in the semifinals with wins over Sporting da Boa Vista and Sanjoanense, respectively. Both games finished 2-1 to the winners.
The other game of the day, between Juventude and Académica, was delayed due to the funeral of Sport Sal-Rei Club founder, and former Académica Operária da Boa Vista coach, Euclides Costa. Sal-Rei still managed to play their game with Onze Estrelas’s on Sunday, which they won 1-0. The ARFBV has not provided a date yet for the postponed game.
Brava
Pé de Rotxa win Torneio Inter-Zonas
While the season hasn’t started in Brava, the Inter-Zonas tournament finished this weekend with a final between Pé de Rotxa and Lém at Estádio Aquiles D’Oliveira. Regulation saw the two sides finish 2-2 and Pé de Rotxa triumphed in the penalty shootout 5-4. A total of six teams participated in the competition in a league format with the top four progressing to a knockout competition.
Fogo
League table starts to split
More games in the regional league with Botafogo proving dominant in a 6-0 rout of Baxada. The table really looks to be splitting into a top and bottom half with Botafogo, Académica, Vulcânico, and Cutelinho all on 13 points and Luzabril, the next closest, already 7 points back.
Sal
More league games in Sal
More games in both the 1° and 2° divisions since our last roundup. There’s some changes in standings but not anything too drastic in the 1° division.
The 2° division is following Fogo with Fonte Riba and Chã de Matias pulling away from the rest of the table. Nova Geracão continuing to struggle as they last won on February 14th in a 1-0 victory over JURF.
Santiago Norte
Scorpion Vermelho stay top
Last year’s winner, Scorpion Vermelho, keep their place at the top of the table while Benfica SC continue to struggle.
Santiago Sul
The big game of the weekend was the Praia derby featuring Académica da Praia and Sporting da Praia with Académica winning out 1-0. The loss dropped Sporting all the way to seventh.
Relâmpago, who just barely missed being relegation last season, are looking as though they might not avoid that fate this season.
Santo Antão Norte
Paulense withdraws from 2025/26 season
Surprise announcement from Santo Antão Norte as Paulense, last season’s league, opening tournament, and cup winner, has announced that they will not participate in the 2025/26 season. In their announcement, Paulense cited delayed stadium renovations (Estádio João Serra turf replacement, training‑camp construction) and inadequate planning that would leave the team with only a short preparation window. The club, which revived its fortunes with multiple titles since 2023, chose to protect its sporting and financial health, promising to regroup for the next season once the infrastructure is completed.
Santo Antão Sul
Season‑start deadlock in Santo Antão Sul
The regional football calendar is stalled because clubs have repeatedly failed to approve the season plan and competition schedule proposed by the current regional football association, ARFSAS. Without that approval, the planned Supertaça on Nov 29 (Sanjoanenses vs Lajedos) cannot be held, and the start of the league is postponed until new governing bodies are elected.
Sanjoanenses FC bolsters squad looking towards a historic fourth regional title
Sanjoanenses Football Club is targeting a fourth regional championship this season. To achieve that goal, the club has added 14 new players, including three from West Africa, notably defender M. Baba (Guinea‑Conakry, ex‑Boavista da Praia), midfielder Capi (Ivory Coast, ex‑Fiorentina da Praia) and forward Cristian.
The rest of the signings feature local talent such as
Forwards Jon de Bibi, Xolote, Iven, Emerson, Juju, Xima and Magney
Defenders Jú and Rubinha
Goalkeepers Vavá and Vlad.
While the team lost four players from last season, Marcos (Académica do Porto Novo), midfielder Sérgio and forwards Daiuca and Dimas (all to Tarrafal FC), the influx of new players is expected to offset those departures and give the “blues of Ribeira das Patas” the depth needed for the upcoming regional senior championship.
Sanjoanenses heads to Luxembourg for a 30‑year celebration tournament
Speaking of raising their profile, Sanjoanenses has accepted an invitation from the Black Boys Association, a Luxembourg organization that supports the Cabo Verdean diaspora, to compete in an international tournament in Luxembourg from April 4‑5, 2026. The event marks the association’s 30th anniversary and highlights the club’s growing reputation.
Club officials described the invitation as “more than a simple participation” and see it as a “recognition of the value of the team’s work and the strength of the [Ribeira das Patas] community”. They also thanked the Cape Verdean diaspora in Europe, especially supporters in Luxembourg, whose encouragement has been vital.
Leadership crisis and upcoming elections
Fernando Lima, president of the Santo Antão Sul Regional Football Association, says he can no longer remain in office after clubs rejected the season plan twice. An extraordinary meeting on Nov 29 set a new election date for Dec 5, with former referee Lenine Rocha currently the sole presidential candidate. The clubs demand fresh leadership, while the existing board will stay only until its mandate ends in February.
São Nicolau
Supertaça showdown
FC Ultramarina (regional champions) faced Atlético (Taça São Nicolau holders) in the Supertaça at the Estádio Di Deus Stadium in Ribeira Brava. After a 2‑2 draw, Atlético won the penalty shoot‑out 3‑2, clinching the first trophy of the 2025/26 season. The São Nicolau regional championship, featuring eight teams, is slated to begin on Dec 12.
São Vicente
Torneio de Abertura begins in new combined format
The Torneio de Abertura started this past weekend with a new format. Prior editions of the competition featured a 1° and separate 2° division tournament, similar to the how the regional league operates. However, this year the two divisions are merged into a single competition of 15 clubs.
This was partly due to the withdrawal of Farense and subsequent debate about which team should take its place in the 1° division, Salamansa who was relegated last season or Falcões do Norte, who lost the relegation playoff game. If you can’t decide why not just choose both and that’s what the ARFSV did. A decision will still need to be made before the Campeonato Regional starts but for now we can enjoy a bit more chaos in the competition.
The new format sees the seven clubs of the 1° division joined by all eight of the 2° divided into four groups.
Group A Corinthians, Estoril, Mindelense, and Ribeira Bote
Group B Amarante, Castilho, Derby, and São Pedro
Group C Académica, Falcões do Norte, Ponta de Pom, and Uni-Mindelo
Group D Batuque, Calhau, and Salamansa
The new structure was already demonstrating the gap between the divisions as Mindelense sent 9 goals past Corinthians of the 2° division. Ribeira Bote defeated Estoril 2-1 in the other game from Group A.
