WC Countdown: Blue Sharks are coming to North America to unleash their jaws

On June 20, 1975, the legendary movie, Steven Spielberg's masterpiece and one of the epic cinematic works that completely changed the history of film as we know it, Jaws, was released.

It grossed a massive $495 million in total and spawned an entire genre of shark movies, while its legacy lives on to this day.

The success of the movie led to three sequels, the last one being released in 1987. Now, 39 years later, the Jaws franchise could be set for a fifth installment - this time symbolically led by the Blue Sharks of Cabo Verde, as this archipelagic country located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa will, for the first time in its history, have a team at the FIFA World Cup.

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After gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, Cabo Verde struggled for years to build their national team from the ground up.

They first entered the World Cup qualifiers in 2002 and, after six unsuccessful attempts, finally made history, shocking the world by topping their qualifying group ahead of the African giants Cameroon, Libya, Angola, Mauritius, and Eswatini, and becoming one of the four debutants in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alongside Curacao, Uzbekistan, and Jordan.

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Led by Pedro Leitao Brito, aka Bubista - the sixth-longest-serving manager in the tournament behind Didier Deschamps (France), Zlatko Dalic (Croatia), Hajime Moriyasu (Japan), Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), and Steve Clarke (Scotland) - the Blue Sharks have finally found continuity and stability in the dugout, and it has paid off.

Still, the World Cup will be a brand-new challenge for the 56-year-old tactician's men, as they've been drawn into one of the toughest groups in the tournament, Group H, alongside the two former World Champions, Spain and Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia.

Main virtues:

Given that Cabo Verde do not have any high-profile football stars in their squad, they'll have to rely mainly on their team spirit, strong desire, teamwork, and unity.

Tactically, they are unlikely to surprise any of their rivals in the group stage, though - unlike many African teams - the Blue Sharks usually opt for attacking football, playing to outscore their opponents.

We'll see how far that approach will take them on the biggest stage, though, judging by their penultimate warm-up game in which they dismantled Serbia 3-0 three days ago, they are ready to go toe-to-toe with any rival.

Star of the team:

As mentioned above, there are no standout stars in Bubista's squad. However, two names worth highlighting are defenders, Logan Costa and Sidny Lopes Cabral, both of whom compete at the highest level of club football, for Villarreal and Benfica, respectively.

Sidny Lopes Cabral (©Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

The 40-year-old custodian Vozinha and the two-year-younger left-back Stopira bring necessary experience to the group, while the national team's all-time leading scorer and captain Ryan Mendes, as well as its top scorer in the qualifiers and the man who brought Cameroon down with a winner in Praia, Dailon Rocha Livramento, will be in charge of goals.

Key weaknesses:

Lack of experience in major competitions is definitely their most significant shortcoming, alongside the modest quality of the squad.

Their offensive mindset can be beneficial but can also cost them a lot, especially against tactically superior opponents.

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Predictions:

In all honesty, the Blue Sharks are the underdogs of the group and don't stand much of a chance in the first two games against Spain (June 15, 19.00, Atlanta) and Uruguay (June 22, 01.00, Miami).

Therefore, they should target points in the last match against Saudi Arabia (June 27, 03.00, Houston), to secure third place in the group and potentially book their ticket to the knockout phase as one of the eight best-ranked third-placed teams.