Pico Lopes heading to World Cup after Cape Verde complete fairytale

Cape Verde accumulated 23 points in their first successful World Cup campaign, winning seven, drawing two and losing one of their 10 qualifiers.

33-year-old Dublin-born Roberto Lopes has 42 caps for Cape Verde. Pic: Cristiano Barbosa/Sportsfile

The League of Ireland will be represented at next year’s World Cup after a Cape Verde side including Shamrock Rovers captain Roberto 'Pico' Lopes secured their route from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) section.

It's a fairytale story for the 33-year-old Dublin-born defender, who has 42 caps for his father Carlos’s birth country since declaring in 2019.