The interesting national team call-up for Cape Verdean player Pico Lopes
Pico Lopes, a defender for Cape Verde, who produced a surprise result by drawing 0-0 with Spain in their first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, was called up to the national team following a rare invitation.
The 33-year-old soccer player, who plays for Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers, began his national team career with a LinkedIn message that he initially thought was spam because he didn’t speak Portuguese.
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Lopes, who didn’t take the first message he received on the account he’d created in college seriously, realized nine months later—when the same message was sent in English—that he had been invited to join the national team. The defender immediately accepted the invitation and made his national team debut in a 2019 friendly match against Togo in Marseille.
Lopes’ upbringing in Ireland was largely due to his father’s choices. His father, who left Cape Verde at age 16, worked in cafes in Portugal before settling in the Netherlands, Belgium, and finally Ireland.
“Beating Cameroon at home was the turning point”
The experienced soccer player, who worked at a bank before signing a professional contract with Shamrock Rovers, said of the team’s World Cup journey, “Our first goal was to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. Reaching the quarterfinals in 2021 gave us confidence. When we saw our group in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, we said, ‘Why not?’ Beating Cameroon at home was the turning point. We had to beat Eswatini in the final match in front of our fans—it was an unforgettable day. We’d made history. Right after the match, I had to rush to catch a flight because my son Diego was born four days later. Qualifying for the World Cup, my son’s birth, and winning the league and cup titles with Shamrock Rovers—it was the most unforgettable month of my life.”
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Regarding his goals for Group H, which includes Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia, Lopes said, “Our goal is to advance from the group. It’s a very tough group, but you have to believe. Even finishing as one of the best third-place teams might be enough. Soccer doesn’t always follow the predictions; there are surprises. This is the moment when dreams become reality. As a child, everyone dreams of the World Cup, but very few get this chance. I’ll try to savor every moment,” he said.
