Humberto Bettencourt, from Cabo Verde and currently a doctoral student at the University of Beira Interior in Portugal, was appointed as the national football coach of Cabo Verde, succeeding Pedro Brito, known as "Bubista". Bettencourt holds a master's degree in Sports Sciences from the same institution and developed his academic connection to UBI in the field of sport.
The new national coach comes to the position after serving as the first assistant coach of the Cabo Verde national team since 2020. His academic background accompanies extensive professional experience in Cabo Verdean football, which includes the presidency of the Cabo Verde Football Coaches Association, leadership of the coaches' commission of the Cabo Verde Olympic Committee, and the role of vice-president of the Lusophone Football Coaches Federation.
The appointment comes after Cabo Verde achieved a historic participation in the 2026 World Cup, where the team drew with Spain, who would go on to win the tournament, and with Uruguay. In the knockout stage, the team was eliminated by runner-up Argentina only in extra time.
In March, Bettencourt presented his master's thesis at UBI titled "Monitoring of Training Load, Recovery and Sport Readiness in Amateur Football: Perceptions and Practices of Coaches in Cabo Verde," supervised by professor António Vicente.
