When 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha was shown how many Instagram followers he had gained after helping Cape Verde hold off Spain in its World Cup debut, he laughed in disbelief.
He entered Monday’s 0-0 draw in Atlanta with about 50,000 followers and, less than 24 hours later, had surged to nearly 10 million, surpassing NBA star Victor Wembanyama’s 6.2 million and NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 6.4 million.
"Crazy, that’s crazy,” Vozinha told Brazilian YouTube channel CazeTV after the match that turned him into one of the World Cup’s breakout names so far. It was CazeTV, the only channel in Brazil with the rights to all 104 World Cup games, that took credit for the surge in followers.
CazeTV is anchored by Brazilian streamer Casimiro Miguel, known as Caze. The channel has more than 31 million YouTube subscribers and is known for sports broadcasts with a more informal, conversational style and a focus on community engagement. During the broadcast of Vozinha’s performance, Caze noticed the goalkeeper had a relatively small Instagram following and urged viewers to follow him.
Spain, one of the tournament favorites, was widely expected to cruise past the World Cup debutants. But La Roja could not find a way past Vozinha and a disciplined defense that answered everything Spain’s attack threw at it.
"Normally we ask for subscribers,” Caze said. "We are not going to ask for subscribers today. We are going to ask for followers for Vozinha. He is stopping Spain. He is shocking the world. He is the standout player of the first half. Why not show him some love?”
His follower count jumped by several hundred thousand shortly after that and continued to climb throughout the day. Vozinha, who began his professional career at 25, is one of the few players aged 40 or older in the tournament. He made several key saves against Spain’s attack and was named man of the match.
The result sparked celebrations in Cape Verde, an island nation off Africa’s west coast with a population of about half a million people. It is the third-smallest country by population to qualify for the World Cup.
Vozinha said after the match that his mother was unable to travel to the United States to watch him play because of visa difficulties.
In Washington, the U.S. State Department said it had no record of her applying for a visa, but it was working to resolve the issue with Cape Verdean authorities. The department said it had notified players from World Cup countries affected by the $15,000 visa bond requirement that they and their families would be exempt.
"All relatives of players are eligible for visa bond waivers, and the department is actively reaching out to this player’s family to assist with visa services,” the department said.
A person familiar with the situation said the State Department believes Vozinha’s mother did not apply for a visa because she did not hold a valid Cape Verdean passport, but that she is now in the process of obtaining one.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential visa matters. A request for comment was sent to the team Tuesday afternoon. Cape Verde’s next match is Sunday.
A similar surge in virality happened last month with New Zealand defender Tim Payne after an Argentine influencer urged followers to turn the little-known player into a "hero” of the World Cup.
El Scarso, a soccer influencer also known as Valen Scarsini, identified the 32-year-old Payne as the least-known player at the tournament based on his small social media following.
Payne had about 4,700 Instagram followers before being highlighted by El Scarso. That number quickly rose past 1 million. He had nearly 6 million followers Tuesday.
FIFA has sought to engage younger audiences by expanding digital access to its showcase event. For the 2026 World Cup, it reached a record number of broadcast deals that include digital-only platforms and partnered with TikTok and YouTube to offer live match content.
Brazil has long been one of the most active countries on social media. FIFA took note and tested the approach four years ago with CazeTV after Casimiro’s success on Twitch. He broadcast 22 matches during the 2022 Qatar World Cup, leading to a larger deal for this tournament.
"Thank you,” Vozinha told CazeTV. "Brazilian fans have always supported us. We felt it during our qualifying campaign and now again on the biggest stage. We are grateful.”