Steven Moreira & CJ Dos Santos make Cape Verde’s 2026 World Cup roster | MLSSoccer.com

Columbus Crew defender Steven Moreira and San Diego FC goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos have made Cape Verde’s final 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The African nation enters this summer’s tournament as one of four nations making their debut – along with Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 18, 2026

Cape Verde schedule: Group H

The 2026 World Cup has expanded from the usual 32 nations to 48 total. The top two teams advance from each group, and the top eight third-place finishers also make the knockout phase (Round of 32).

The tournament, which is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, spans from June 11 to July 19.

Moreira has represented Cape Verde – the birthplace of his parents – at the senior level since 2023.

The former France youth international is a key member of the Blue Sharks’ backline and helped lead Cape Verde to historic highs, including a run to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals and their memorable 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. 

Since joining Columbus in August 2021, Moreira has developed into one of MLS’s top defenders. A key piece of the Crew’s MLS Cup 2023 and Leagues Cup 2024-winning sides, he was named MLS Defender of the Year in 2024.

Born in the United States to a Cape Verdean father and Portuguese mother, Dos Santos represented the US at the youth level, including at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. 

After formally making a FIFA-authorized switch to represent Cape Verde, he trained with the Blue Sharks during the March 2026 international window. That was enough to convince head coach Bubista to include him in the Blue Sharks’ final roster. 

Dos Santos posted 10 clean sheets in 30 starts during San Diego’s historic 2025 debut season, helping the Chrome-and-Azul set records for points (63) and wins (19). He previously played for Inter Miami CF and Portugal’s Benfica.