The University of Coimbra will honour the Cape Verde national football team and formalise a cooperation agreement with Liga Portugal next Thursday, October 1. The event, part of the “Conversas da Casa da Lusofonia” series, will take place at the Auditório Rui de Alarcão in the University Stadium of Coimbra, starting at 11:00 am, and is open to the public.
The programme includes a conference by Mário Semedo, president of the Cape Verdean Football Federation (FCF), and the signing of the cooperation protocol between the university and Liga Portugal. The opening session will be led by the Vice-Rector for External Relations and Alumni, João Nuno Calvão da Silva, and the Pro-Rector for Sports, Filipa Godinho. The tribute follows the team's historic first appearance at the 2026 World Cup, where Cape Verde reached the round of 16, being eliminated by Argentina in extra time.
The Faculty of Sports Sciences and Physical Education of the University of Coimbra (FCDEFUC) has been developing a partnership with the FCF in recent years. This academic and scientific cooperation, framed within the Sports Academy of the Cape Verdean institution, aims at training sports agents. Hugo Sarmento, deputy director of FCDEFUC, will moderate Mário Semedo's conference.
Their last result was a defeat to Argentina, which sealed their elimination from the tournament. The team's next challenge is a home fixture against Rwanda later this month.
The closing session of the event at the University of Coimbra will feature speeches by Reinaldo Teixeira, president of Liga Portugal, Vasco Vaz, director of FCDEFUC, and Rector Amílcar Falcão. This 46th session of the “Conversas da Casa da Lusofonia” cycle marks the start of the 2026/2027 academic year and aims to evoke and strengthen the historical ties between the university and Cape Verdean football.
Background and full detail: Agência Incomparáveis
The University of Coimbra held the tribute to the Cape Verde national team and signed the cooperation protocol with Liga Portugal this Thursday, October 1st. The event, moderated by Hugo Sarmento, featured a conference by FCF president Mário Semedo. The Cape Verdean team, which is 2nd in its World Cup group with 3 points, will face Rwanda at home later this month.
