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Cape Verde's Muslim trio draws attention at World Cup
Images of three Muslim footballers from the Cape Verde national team, which achieved a historic success in the 2026 World Cup, praying together before a match attracted great attention on social media.
Making its first appearance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Cape Verde national team has made headlines not only for its on-field performance but also for its players' off-field demeanor. A video of the three Muslim footballers on the team praying as a congregation before a match quickly spread on social media.
The trio consists of Logan Costa, who plays for Spain's Villarreal, Steven Moreira from the US team Columbus, and Gamiro Monteiro, who plays for the Netherlands' Zwolle club.
"We stay together and pray together"
Speaking in a live broadcast on a social media platform, Gamiro Monteiro gave a sincere response to the question of who leads the prayer. Monteiro said, "Logan (Costa) is the imam. He is a very good person. Sometimes he tells me 'you lead,' but I prefer him to lead as we are used to."
Also touching on the bond with his teammates, Monteiro said, "It has been 10 years since I came here. I have never felt such a feeling toward my brothers before."
Steven Moreira confirmed this special bond, saying, "As the three Muslims on the team, we stick together and pray together before matches."
Cape Verde's historic surprise
The African representative managed to pull off a major surprise in its first World Cup campaign by advancing past the group stage. The team finished second in Group H, which included Spain, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, with three draws, advancing to the round of 32 and achieving a historic success.
Cape Verde's group stage results are as follows:
- Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
- Cape Verde 2-2 Uruguay
- Saudi Arabia 0-0 Cape Verde
In the round of 32, a very tough opponent awaits Cape Verde. The team will face defending champion Argentina on Saturday at 01:00 Turkish time. The island nation, which ranks 67th in the latest FIFA world rankings, had already drawn attention by qualifying for the tournament.
Muslims make up 2.8 percent of the population
Located in West Africa with a population of 525,000, Cape Verde is the second smallest country to participate in the tournament after Iceland, which competed in the 2018 Russia World Cup. In the country, whose official language is Portuguese and consists of 10 main islands, Muslims make up about 2.8 percent of the population.
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