Former Teammates Become Rivals in Spain vs. Cape Verde

Aymeric Laporte and Steven Moreira once played together for France’s youth national teams. Now, they are set to face each other at the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

The Group H opener between Spain and Cape Verde marks a reunion of two former teammates, but this time they will be on opposite sides at Atlanta Stadium. Interestingly, neither player will be representing the country where they were both born: France.

Moreira and Laporte played together for France’s Under-19 and Under-21 teams between 2013 and 2015. A decade later, fate has brought them back together on football’s biggest stage, representing different nations and highlighting the global influence of French football development.

After their youth international careers with France, their paths diverged. Laporte became a Spanish citizen and went on to win the UEFA European Championship with Spain. Moreira chose to represent Cape Verde, a nation competing in its first-ever FIFA World Cup.

Speaking to FIFA, the Cape Verdean right-back laughed about the coincidence and revealed that he had already spoken with his former teammate.

“Yes, I talked to him. We spoke about this match. I hope we can reminisce about the great memories we have from the French national team. Playing against each other in a World Cup will be fun!”

For Moreira, their journeys illustrate the strength of France’s youth development system, particularly in the Paris region, which is widely regarded as one of the world's most prolific football talent factories.

“Honestly, going through the French youth national teams helped me a lot. Just look at how many players from Paris are spread around the world, performing on football’s biggest stages,” Moreira said.

One statistic helps explain the phenomenon: 99 players born in France are competing at this World Cup, representing 12 different countries.

Different Paths

Moreira and Laporte were teammates in the French Under-19 side that finished as runners-up at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, losing the final to Serbia, which would go on to win the FIFA U-20 World Cup the following year.

That squad also included Adrien Rabiot, who is representing France at this World Cup. Ivory Coast striker Sébastien Haller played alongside the trio at Under-21 level.

After their last youth-team appearance together in 2015, the two players followed very different paths.

Steven Moreira never broke into France’s senior national team. After moving to the United States in 2020, he began receiving interest from Cape Verdean football officials. In 2023, he accepted the invitation to represent the country of his parents’ birth.

Aymeric Laporte’s story took a different turn. At age 16, he moved to Spain to join Athletic Club in the Basque Country. Deeply connected to Spanish football, he stated in 2015 that he would consider changing national teams if opportunities with France failed to materialize.

When those opportunities remained limited, he followed through on that promise. Since making his Spain debut in 2021, Laporte has earned 45 caps and helped Spain win UEFA Euro 2024. The one major trophy still missing from his résumé is the FIFA World Cup, and Spain enters the tournament as one of the favorites.

A decade after sharing the same dressing room with France’s Under-21 team, Laporte and Moreira will stand on opposite sides at a World Cup match—one representing Spain, the other Cape Verde.