This summer, the world fell in love with Cape Verde at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tiny island nation of roughly 525,000 people, scattered across 10 volcanic islands off the coast of West Africa, made its first-ever World Cup appearance and became the tournament’s defining Cinderella story.
The Blue Sharks advanced out of group play on the strength of three gutsy draws, including a scoreless result against eventual champion Spain. They later fell to defending champion Argentina 3-2 in extra time during the Round of 32, a match that captivated fans around the world.
For many people, that was their introduction to Cape Verde. For the Wallingford Soccer Club and the CJSA South Central District, the connection goes back to 2016.
How It Started
The relationship began with a conversation between two people who shared a love of soccer and a desire to give back. Fel Brito, a longtime referee in Wallingford who had worked matches in the community for many years, approached Wallingford Soccer Club (WSC) referee assignor Scott Flynn with a simple but meaningful request: could the club collect used and leftover soccer equipment and send it to Cape Verde?
Brito returns to his homeland at least once a year and has seen firsthand what the sport means to the people there, and how little they had to play with. Soccer is the island’s number one sport, but only a few teams had uniforms, and equipment of any kind was hard to come by. He knew even a modest collection of gear could make a real difference.
Scott Flynn enlisted WSC board support and Sandi Bergeron and Judi Corso Greene to immediately lead the charge. The first collection was a huge success with large quantities of balls, uniforms, t-shirts, and over 100 pairs of cleats collected. This amount far exceeded Brito’s expectations, moving him to tears. However, he quickly thought “How do I get all of this home?”
Brito came up with a solution, and although he did not realize it at the time, this would become a long-term process that he would repeat for years to come. He would drive all the donated items to the harbor at Fall River, Massachusetts, and pack large plastic barrels with donated gear before they were loaded onto a ship for the journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
From A Club to An Entire District
In 2019, the effort expanded beyond Wallingford Soccer Club to include the CJSA South Central District, where VP Dave Rodriguez gathered t-shirts, balls, and medals left over from previous Joe Conte Recreational Tournaments. This too has become an impactful annual effort. Fel Brito takes the Conte t-shirts and has numbers put on the back so they can become game jerseys for teams on his island. Highly coveted Conte medals are also awarded to winners of tournaments.
“Fel has been sharing photos of kids wearing gear, playing the game, and having fun for 10 years. It never gets old,” said Dave Rodriguez, VP of the CJSA South Central District. “The smiles tell the story. Words aren’t necessary.”
What It Means on the Islands
In the town of Chan De Tanque on the island of Santiago, soccer is life. Kids play before school, after school, and all day on weekends. The climate and the playing surfaces (most fields are dirt, with just one turf surface in Brito’s hometown) are tough on equipment, and balls wear out far faster than they do in Connecticut. Most kids play pickup without a ball of their own.
Brito has described soccer balls as being like gold on the islands. When a donation shipment arrives, it carries more than just equipment. The delivery carries an opportunity for more kids to play more often. When Brito returns home, he is without a doubt the most popular man on the island. He literally has kids running behind his car greeting him on his way to his house.
Beyond the gear, Brito has also played a meaningful role in the growth of youth soccer infrastructure on the islands, including his assistance to get a youth soccer academy off the ground. His trips home are no longer just visits. They are working trips, each one bringing a fresh batch of gear and a continued commitment to the sport’s development there by organizing clinics, tournaments, referee training, or whatever is needed. Brito has also directed portions of the donations to other islands in need.
“We do a lot with what we have, that’s normal to us,” said Brito. “Perseverance, that’s how we live our lives.”
A Full-Circle Moment
Watching Cape Verde take the world stage this summer has carried a different kind of meaning for those who have been part of this effort. The same country where kids have been playing in Joe Conte Recreational Tournament shirts and Wallingford Soccer Club gear (on dirt fields, with donated balls) pushed Argentina and Lionel Messi to the brink in extra time on the world’s biggest stage.
Cape Verde’s run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was a reminder of what the sport can produce when players are given the opportunity to develop and compete. For the CJSA South Central District and Wallingford Soccer Club, that reminder hits close to home. Their donations have been part of that environment for a decade.
Still Going Strong
The work continues. Fel Brito returns to Cape Verde each summer with gear collected from Connecticut, connecting two soccer communities separated by thousands of miles. What started because one referee asked one question has grown into a multi-year effort that has put equipment in the hands of kids who cherish every piece of it.
Cape Verde may have just formally introduced itself to the world this summer, but Connecticut soccer has been proud to know them for a long time.