Cape Verde have promoted long-serving assistant Humberto Bettencourt to head coach following the national team’s historic 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.
The 51-year-old replaces Bubista, who departed to become manager of Moroccan club RS Berkane. Bettencourt had worked as Bubista’s assistant for six years and was part of the coaching staff that helped establish the Blue Sharks as a competitive force on the international stage.
The Cape Verdean Football Federation has chosen continuity by handing the job to a coach already familiar with the squad, the team’s playing philosophy and the structures that underpinned their recent progress.
Bettencourt’s first major task will be to lead Cape Verde through the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Important fixtures are scheduled for the September and October international windows, leaving the new head coach limited time to settle into his role before competitive football begins.
His appointment follows a World Cup campaign that significantly increased expectations around the national team. Cape Verde were among the tournament’s surprise performers, becoming the only side to avoid defeat against eventual champions Spain. They also drew with Uruguay before eventually exiting against Argentina in the Round of 32.
The Blue Sharks pushed Argentina into extra time, underlining the progress made by a team that was previously viewed largely as an outsider on the international stage.
Bettencourt was involved throughout that campaign and his detailed knowledge of the squad is understood to have been an important factor in the federation’s decision to promote him. His six years alongside Bubista have given him extensive experience of the players and the methods that helped transform Cape Verde into a difficult opponent for leading football nations.
The move allows the federation to continue with the existing approach rather than begin a complete rebuilding process following Bubista’s departure. Bettencourt will retain familiarity with the environment, but must now move beyond the responsibilities of an assistant and take full ownership of results.
His main challenge will be to preserve the defensive resilience and competitive qualities that served Cape Verde so well at the World Cup while also bringing his own ideas to the team. He will also have to manage the increased pressure surrounding a side whose performances in 2026 have raised expectations at home and across African football.
Cape Verde will be expected to use their World Cup experience as a platform for further progress in continental competition. The team is entering a new phase in which it can no longer be regarded simply as an outsider after competing successfully against some of the biggest names in world football.
For Bettencourt, the objective will be to ensure the 2026 World Cup is not remembered as an isolated success. Instead, he will aim to make the tournament the starting point for a sustained period of achievement for Cape Verdean football, beginning with qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
