From Dublin to the World Cup

As Cape Verde prepares to take part in its first World Cup in 2026, there is a lesser-known Irish connection amongst the team.

Crumlin-native Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes was born in Ireland to a Cape Verdean father and Irish mother. He will line out at the heart of the Blue Sharks defence, pulling on the Cape Verde jersey for the 45th time in the first match.

We caught up with Pico at the squad’s training camp outside Lisbon before the team departed for the United States.

An unexpected move to Ireland

Ireland first came on the horizon for Pico’s father Carlos when he was running a café in Belgium in the 1980s. After becoming friendly with a customer, the captain of an Irish Ferries ship that regularly docked nearby, 28-year-old Carlos accepted an invitation to a weekend in Ireland.

“He went off to Ireland for the weekend and he never came back. Apparently his suitcases are still floating around Belgium somewhere!” Pico laughs. While in Dublin, Carlos met Judie. The couple married and the Irish Ferries captain was best man.

Playing in the League of Ireland

Pico’s journey to lining out against World Cup favourites Spain on 15 June in Atlanta for the 2026 World Cup began one Saturday morning in Crumlin, when his mother Judie brought him to local club, Lourdes Celtic.

When that side broke up in his early teens, Pico wanted to test himself and made his way across town to Home Farm, progressing to Belvedere before landing on Bohemians’ books.

“It probably doesn't seem like much now, but it's two buses across town and it just sort of like gets you out of your comfort zone,” he says. It wouldn’t be the first time the future Rovers captain would look to challenge himself.

After six years with Bohemians, which also included togging out for Ireland at under 19 level, he made the move to rivals Shamrock Rovers, picking up league titles and cups, as well as competing in Europe. Then a message popped into his LinkedIn profile.

Joining the Cape Verde squad – via LinkedIn

It was in Portuguese, which he didn’t speak at the time, so he ignored it, presuming it was spam. The message was from the then Cape Verde national team manager enquiring whether he would be interested in representing the Blue Sharks. Nine months later another message appeared, this time in English.

A fortnight later, Pico found himself with the Cape Verde squad in Marseilles for a friendly match. He was nearly 30 years old.

It took about a year for all the paperwork to be sorted out and for Pico to represent Cape Verde in a competitive match. “I thought, I’ve waited until I was 28 so I was willing to wait a little bit longer.”

This summer’s World Cup will be his third major competition with Cape Verde, following appearances at the African Cup of Nations in 2021 and 2023.

Patience, perserverance and positivity

For young players in Ireland with mixed heritage or international roots, his message is one of patience and positivity. Pico’s story shows that it’s never too late to do something you love.

“I started when I was 28 and I'm going to my first World Cup at 34. You don't have to make it when you're 15 or 16, or even when you’re 25.

I encourage anyone who has that sort of passion for something in their life to just never give up – you’ll find love and enjoyment in it in some way,” he advises.

As a kid growing up in Dublin, the Cape Verdean community was relatively small, but this has changed in recent times. Today, many of the growing Cape Verdean population in Ireland recognise Pico on the street and strike up conversations in Creole.

This brings him back to those first meetups with his new teammates, where part of the initiation was to sing a song in front the players.

“I was up in my hotel room on Spotify trying to figure out a simple Cape Verdean song to sing,” he recalls fondly. He got up in front of the squad and introduced himself as best as he could in Creole before launching into it.

“I think I was maybe five words in before everyone realised I was butchering a classic and the place just erupted with laughter! Which was great because that's what it's all about.”

Irish-Cape Verdean similarities

He sees similarities between the Irish and Cape Verdean national anthems, both of which are rooted in the struggle for independence.

Though he remembers learning Amhrán na bhFiann at school, the focus now is very much on the Cape Verdean national anthem.

“Before we leave the hotel, we get in a huddle and we sing it,” he says. “Then when it comes to the pitch we sing it too, so I'm well versed in it. It's something that really connects you.”

The cultural similarities between Ireland and Cape Verde are plenty. “There's a real connection to the field. We have Cachupa in Cape Verde. It's a bean stew. You have one meal as a stew and then it's strained and you use it in the morning for breakfast. For me, it's similar to the Irish stew or, I suppose, coddle.”

Pico hasn’t yet introduced the squad to Dublin’s culinary gift to the world. “I think they’d freak out if they saw coddle, but they’d love a stew,” he laughs.

Identity through having your own language and musical tradition is also something both countries share.

“There's a lot of people passionate about Irish back home. It’s the same in Cape Verde with Creole. It's not written down so you're only ever speaking it. It's quite difficult to learn - that's my excuse anyway! Having that identity, speaking Creole to each other is really important.”

Shared outlooks – and fan support

The similarities don’t end there. Cape Verdeans and Irish people are quite relaxed and have similar outlooks on life.

“You'll see that from our fans. Whether we're one nil behind or one nil up, they'll still be celebrating all the same. They're here to enjoy every moment of it. For us as players, we're going to try and give everything on the pitch. We want to be competitive.

We want to try and get out of our group. I think that has to be our goal. We've worked so hard to get to this point, so we don't want to put our feet up at this stage.”

When Cape Verde take to the field against Spain on June 15, Ireland’s sole representative at this year’s World Cup can rest assured that two nations will be cheering him on.

Watch Pico play during Cape Verde’s World Cup 2026 group fixtures:
- Monday June 15 – Cape Verde v Spain, 5pm (Irish time)
- Sunday 21 June – Cape Verde v Uruguay, 11pm (Irish time)
- Saturday 27 June – Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia, 1am (Irish time)