2 min readJun 17, 2026 05:05 PM IST
On Monday night in Atlanta, Vozinha produced seven saves to hold Spain to a goalless draw in Cape Verde’s first ever World Cup match. At full time he wept. His mother had not been there.
Ana Candida Evora had been unable to travel from Sao Vicente because she could not afford the bond payment the Trump administration requires from Cape Verdean citizens before a US visa is considered – up to $15,000 under rules introduced in January.
Washington dropped the bond requirement for World Cup ticket holders last month, but by then, Vozinha told reporters, it was already too late. “The money for the visa, we didn’t manage on time, and I would like her to be here,” he said.
By Tuesday morning, three things had happened simultaneously.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking him to personally ensure Vozinha’s mother could attend Cape Verde’s next match – against Uruguay in Miami on Sunday. “No mother should miss the chance to see her child make history,” Jeffries wrote on X, according to The Hill.
A crowdfunding campaign titled “Help Our Goalkeeper Vozinha Bring His Mother to the USA” surpassed its target by Tuesday evening, Newsweek reported.
And the State Department said it had no record of a visa application being filed for Evora, and confirmed it was actively reaching out to the family to assist. All relatives of players, it noted, are eligible for visa bond waivers – a provision that had apparently not reached her in time for Monday’s match.
There is a further complication: according to CNN, Evora does not currently hold an active passport and is in the process of obtaining one. Cape Verde play Uruguay in Miami on Sunday.
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It was reported that Vozinha’s Instagram following rose from 40,000 to nearly six million within hours of full time. The goalkeeper had not been expecting to play at all – he had nearly retired before teammates persuaded him to stay on for the World Cup. He turned 40 a week before the tournament began.
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