Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha blanks Spain in World Cup debut, then reveals US visa bond kept mother away

Cape Verde’s first-ever World Cup match ended in a 0-0 draw with Spain in Atlanta, thanks to a seven-save performance from goalkeeper Josimar Dias, known as Vozinha. The result gave the island nation of roughly 500,000 people its first point in tournament history and set off a chain of events stretching from a house cleaner’s TV prediction to a US State Department intervention.

Vozinha shuts out Spain

Spain dominated possession but found Vozinha immovable. Ferran Torres, Mikel Oyarzabal, Aymeric Laporte and Mikel Merino all failed to beat the 40-year-old, who was named player of the match. Cape Verde defender Roberto Lopes said the plan was to stay resolute and hope Spain misfired. “Thankfully our goalkeeper Vozinha, he was amazing and he deserves all the plaudits at 40 years of age,” Lopes told Reuters. Lopes also revealed he abandoned his plan to swap jerseys after the match. “That Cape Verde jersey, my first-ever World Cup jersey, that will be going back to Kilnamanagh. I’m glad I didn’t swap it,” he said.

A mother’s prediction comes true

The day before the match, Vozinha’s mother, 59-year-old house cleaner Ana Cândida Évora, appeared on Cape Verde state television and predicted no one would score past her son.

I said that no ball would enter his goal, and that is exactly what happened.

Vozinha later told reporters he cried at the final whistle partly because his mother was not in the stadium. “I cried because my mother could not come because of the visa, because of the money we had to pay for the visa. We did not manage to arrange it in time. I would have loved her to be here,” he said.

The visa bond barrier

In January, Cape Verde was among dozens of countries whose citizens were required to post a refundable bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States under a Trump‑era regulation aimed at reducing visa overstays. Washington announced in May that the bond requirement would be waived for World Cup ticket holders, but by then Ana Cândida Évora had already ruled out traveling the 6,400 km from Praia to Atlanta. The high cost of flights, accommodation and tickets would have been prohibitive regardless, national federation president Mário Semedo told Reuters.

US State Department steps in

After Vozinha’s comments went viral, a State Department official said Tuesday that the bond requirement would be lifted for immediate family members of players from 2026 World Cup participant nations, and that officials were actively contacting the goalkeeper’s family to help with the consular process. A person familiar with the situation said the mother is currently without a valid passport and in the process of obtaining one. The official noted that the department had no record of a visa application from her. Cape Verde’s next Group H match is against Uruguay on Sunday, June 21.

1. Jun 14, 2026Vozinha’s mother predicts on Cape Verde state TV that no Spain player will score past her son.
2. Jun 15, 2026Cape Verde draws 0-0 with Spain in Atlanta; Vozinha makes seven saves and is named player of the match.
3. Jun 16, 2026US State Department says it will contact Vozinha’s family to assist with visa waivers after the goalkeeper’s emotional interview goes viral.
4. Jun 17, 2026Vozinha’s Instagram follower count passes 11 million, up from roughly 50,000 before the tournament.
5. Jun 21, 2026Cape Verde faces Uruguay in its second Group H match in Atlanta.

Overnight social media stardom

Before the tournament, Vozinha was a little-known name even in Portugal’s second division, where he is currently without a club. In the 48 hours after the Spain match, his Instagram following surged from roughly 50,000 to more than 11 million. He also became the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a men’s World Cup match, according to French reports. Vozinha’s father had named him Josimar after the Brazilian full-back who shone at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, the year of his son’s birth.