▲ Coach Bubista, who led Cape Verde's surprising run
Coach Bubista (Cape Verde), who led Cape Verde to the Round of 32 in their first-ever World Cup appearance, is taking the helm of a Moroccan professional football club.
According to Reuters and other reports, Moroccan first-division club RS Berkane announced that they have appointed Coach Bubista as their new manager.
Coach Bubista will take charge of Berkane as the successor to Moine Chaabani, who recently moved to lead the Tunisian national team.
The contract is for two years.
Bubista, whose real name is Pedro Leitão Brito, discussed maintaining his role as the head coach of the Cape Verde national team while also managing Berkane, but ultimately decided to make a fresh start at Berkane following negotiations.
The Cape Verde Football Federation also announced that Coach Bubista has stepped down from his position with the national team.
In a statement, the federation said, "We deeply appreciate Coach Bubista's dedication, professionalism, and contributions to the development of the national team project, and we wish him great success in his future new challenges."
It added, "The process of appointing a new national team head coach is also proceeding smoothly."
Cape Verde, a small island nation off the western coast of Africa, caused a sensation by advancing to the Round of 32 at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, which was their first-ever tournament appearance.
They held the "Invincible Armada" Spain to a 0-0 draw in their opening match, subsequently drew 2-2 with South American powerhouse Uruguay, and also fought to a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia, finishing second in Group H with 3 draws (3 points).
Spain, which claimed its first title in 16 years with 7 wins and 1 draw in 8 matches at this tournament, was the only opponent that Cape Verde did not defeat.
Cape Verde wrapped up their tournament journey in the Round of 32 after a fierce battle that went into extra time against defending champions Argentina, who were eyeing back-to-back titles, conceding the winning goal via an own goal to lose 2-3.
Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who showcased brilliant saves at the World Cup, subsequently joined the prestigious Chilean club Colo-Colo.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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