Personal News on Cape Verde Goalie Vozinha Emerges After Spain Match
With an expanded World Cup format that increased the field from 32 teams to 48, this year's tournament may already be showing the payoff through the first games of the group stage.
In a game that will go down in the record books as a story of triumph and perseverance, Cape Verde pulled off a 0-0 draw against tournament favorites Spain. Located off the coast of West Africa, with over 500,000 people residing on the island, this year's World Cup marked the first for Cape Verde.
It also marked the biggest stage for the 40-year-old keeper, Vozinha, who turned into a worldwide sensation overnight. He saved seven shots on 27 attempts from Spain, and saw his Instagram following go from around 50,000 to nearly 13 million and counting.
While not many knew of him or his story before Monday, his journey has been well documented since. However, many fans were disappointed to learn that his mother was unable to attend the World Cup due to issues with her visa.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed by Yahoo Sports on X that his mother was granted a visa to enter the United States for Cape Verde's Sunday match with Uruguay.
"The mother of Cape Verde star goalkeeper Vozinha has been granted a visa to enter the United States in time for her son's next World Cup match vs. Uruguay on Sunday," Yahoo Sports wrote on X.
The mother of Cape Verde star goalkeeper Vozinha has been granted a visa to enter the United States in time for her son's next World Cup match vs. Urguay on Sunday.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 17, 2026
Vozinha revealed that his mother could not travel because she could not afford the $15,000 bond the State… pic.twitter.com/BErpw4lgUS
Although some might think that there is more pressure on him now than ever because of his larger following, his mother's presence may be what is providing the most angst.
Sunday's match will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET and air on FS1.
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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 4:01 PM.