CFA rebuts reports of Cape Verde fixture rejection

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) on Tuesday denied online reports claiming that the national team had turned down an invitation from Cape Verde to play an international friendly, saying the information was inaccurate.

In a statement released on July 7, the CFA said it had verified the situation and found that no official match invitation had been received from the Cape Verde Football Federation, and therefore there was no instance of the association rejecting such a proposal.

According to the CFA, the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of Cape Verde made initial contact with the association on June 23, conveying verbally that the Cape Verde Football Federation was interested in exploring the possibility of sending a team to China for an international friendly.

However, as of 5 pm Beijing time on July 7, the CFA said it had not received any formal written communication or further follow-up from its Cape Verdean counterpart regarding the proposed match.

The CFA said reports suggesting that "Cape Verde invited China's national team for a friendly, but was rejected" did not reflect the actual situation.

The association added that the Chinese national men's team is currently focused on preparations for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, and that future warm-up matches will be arranged according to the team's preparation plans for the tournament.

At the same time, the CFA emphasized that it remains open to international soccer exchanges, and is willing to cooperate with soccer associations from Cape Verde and other countries and regions in organizing matches and strengthening soccer ties.

The controversy surrounding a potential China-Cape Verde match originated from an interview with the vice-president of the Cape Verde Football Federation on June 25.

In the interview, the official said that, if a formal invitation was received, Cape Verde would be happy to accept, adding that its men's, women's and youth teams — including U17, U19 and U23 squads — could all participate in overseas exchanges.

The remarks were later circulated by several media outlets. On June 27, some reports described the situation as Cape Verde planning a friendly match with China. By June 29, the reports had further evolved into claims that Cape Verde had officially announced plans to visit China and play against the Chinese men's national team after the World Cup.

The topic gained further attention on social media in July, with discussions claiming that the invitation had been declined by the Chinese side.

The interest in Cape Verde's football team has grown significantly following its impressive performance at the World Cup. The African island nation, with a population of fewer than 600,000 and a land area of just over 4,000 square kilometers, emerged as one of the tournament's surprise performers.

Cape Verde made history by advancing from the group stage in its first-ever World Cup appearance, following three draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to finish second in its group with three points. It became the first debutant to reach the knockout stage since Slovakia achieved the feat in 2010.

In the round of 32, Cape Verde put up a strong fight against defending champion Argentina. After twice falling behind, the team twice fought back to level the score, eventually losing 3-2 after extra time.

The CFA expressed appreciation for the continued attention and support from soccer fans and the public, while reaffirming its commitment to promoting international soccer exchanges.