A player from the Cape Verde national football team, which is set to compete in the upcoming World Cup, is under police investigation following an alleged sexual assault in Auckland. The incident reportedly occurred during the FIFA Series in March, a tournament featuring New Zealand, Finland, Chile, and Cape Verde.
Details of the Alleged Incident
According to reports from the New Zealand Herald, the alleged attack took place at the Cape Verde team hotel shortly after their match against Chile at Eden Park on Friday, March 27. The complaint involves a player who is part of the Cape Verde national team. Police are currently seeking CCTV footage from the hotel to aid their investigation.
New Zealand police confirmed to the Herald: 'Police can confirm an allegation is under investigation, reported to us on April 10, 2026, in central Auckland. We are unable to comment further at this time.'
FIFA's Involvement
FIFA has stated that they are making their own enquiries into the incident, having only been alerted to the alleged attack in the months following. Beyond their intention to make initial enquiries, FIFA has said they have no official comment at this time. New Zealand Football has also confirmed they are unable to comment on the alleged incident.
Background on the FIFA Series
The Cape Verde squad arrived in New Zealand on March 22 and had a mixed performance at the FIFA Series. They lost their opening match 4-2 to Chile on March 27—the night of the alleged attack—before defeating Finland on penalties. The FIFA Series is an initiative by football's governing body to facilitate meaningful matches between teams from different confederations.
The tournament in New Zealand was one of nine held simultaneously worldwide. Australia also hosted a tournament featuring Cameroon, China, and Curacao, the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup. A FIFA statement at the time of launch said: 'The FIFA Series 2026 brings together national teams with a wide range of competitive profiles, reinforcing its development-driven design. This diversity reflects FIFA's commitment to creating meaningful international bouts for representative teams of member associations at all stages of development.'
Cape Verde's World Cup Journey
The Blue Sharks will make their debut at the World Cup next month. They qualified in October after beating Eswatini 3-0 and topping their qualifying group. This makes them the second-smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup, with only Curacao—who also qualified for this summer's tournament—being smaller. The archipelago, located off the coast of Senegal in West Africa, has a population of just 525,000. They have been drawn into Group H alongside Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia.
