Walk into Honey Fitz in Astoria, Queens, right now and you aren't greeted by the standard predictable sea of green shirts. Instead, the room is a chaotic, beautiful blend of the blue, white, and red of the Cape Verde flag mixed with the traditional wood panels of a classic Irish pub. Guinness taps are flowing, but the chants are for a tiny island nation of roughly 600,000 people that is currently ripping up the World Cup script.
It makes no sense on paper. You have a neighborhood watering hole named after John F. Kennedy’s grandfather, located in a deeply historic New York enclave, suddenly operating as the unofficial embassy for the Blue Sharks. But sports has a funny way of ignoring geography. If you look closely at the center of Cape Verde’s backline, the connection becomes crystal clear.
The man anchoring that defense is Roberto "Pico" Lopes. He's a born-and-raised Dubliner, a former Bank of Ireland corporate employee, and a seasoned veteran for Shamrock Rovers. He also happens to qualify for Cape Verde through his father, Carlos. When the World Cup kicked off, Honey Fitz owner Sean Doran decided his bar would adopt Cape Verde as their home team. His brother works for Shamrock Rovers, so the emotional investment was already there.
Doran posted a simple graphic on Instagram announcing the pub's allegiance. Then the magic of social media took over. Pico Lopes spotted the post, shared it with his followers, and triggered a literal migration. Within hours, hundreds of Cape Verdean diaspora members from across the tri-state area descended on Astoria. They turned a quiet Irish pub into a roaring, high-energy epicenter of World Cup fever.
The LinkedIn Message That Changed International Football
To understand why this specific connection runs so deep, you have to appreciate the absurd reality of how Lopes ended up playing for Cape Verde in the first place. This isn't a story of elite scouts tracking a prodigy through a multi-million dollar academy. It started with a cold message on LinkedIn.
Back in 2018, Cape Verde's then-coach Rui Águas was searching for players with dual nationality. He reached out to Lopes on the professional networking app. Lopes, assuming it was standard spam or a joke, ignored the message for nine months. It wasn't until he eventually translated the Portuguese text that he realized a legitimate international manager was offering him a shot at African Cup of Nations football.
Lopes answered, got his documents in order, and made his debut in 2019. Fast forward to the 2026 World Cup, and he is going toe-to-toe with the most lethal attackers on earth.
Look at the numbers from their recent 2-2 draw against Uruguay in Miami. Lopes put on an absolute masterclass in defensive resilience. He racked up 59 touches, completed 27 out of 34 passes, and recorded a staggering 13 clearances, five of which were crucial headed clearances under immense pressure from Darwin Núñez and Maximiliano Araújo. He won five duels, three possessions, and executed three perfect tackles. It is a level of elite performance that completely shatters the romanticized "plucky underdog" narrative. These guys aren't just happy to be here. They're elite competitors.
Silencing the Giants on the World Stage
The mainstream soccer media loves to treat minor nations as novelty acts, but Cape Verde's Group H run has been built on tactical discipline and sheer grit. They opened the tournament by holding global powerhouse Spain to a shocking 0-0 draw at Atlanta Stadium. Goalkeeper Vozinha became an instant folk hero, making seven world-class saves to frustrate the Spanish frontline and earning millions of new social media followers overnight.
Then came the battle in Miami against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay. While Maximiliano Araújo and Agustín Canobbio scored for the South Americans, Cape Verde refused to break. Kevin Pina found the back of the net in the 21st minute, and Hélio Varela struck an equalizer in the 61st minute to secure another vital point.
"We got here on merit," Lopes said after the final whistle in Miami. "You don't win a prize to get to the World Cup. You have to compete, you have to qualify, and it's difficult to get here. Now you're mixing it with some of the best teams in the world. Our goal first and foremost was just to attack the first game and show that we belong here."
That exact sentiment is what resonates so deeply inside the walls of Honey Fitz. The patrons aren't cheering for a miracle; they're cheering for a group of professional athletes who refuse to be intimidated by big names, historic pedigree, or massive market values.
Why the Diaspora Found a Home in an Irish Pub
New York has always been a city of immigrant enclaves, but the cross-pollination happening in Astoria represents the best parts of the World Cup experience. The Cape Verdean community in America is heavily concentrated in places like New England—particularly Massachusetts and Rhode Island—but the New York metro area holds a passionate, tight-knit contingent.
When Honey Fitz opened its doors to them, it created a unique cultural collision. You see older Irish regulars who initially came in just for a quiet pint of stout now wearing blue bandanas, screaming at the televisions alongside young Cape Verdeans who traveled from New Jersey and the Bronx. The shared history of being a diaspora nation connects the Irish and Cape Verdean cultures organically. Both peoples understand what it means to leave a small Atlantic island, cross the ocean, and build a vibrant community somewhere else.
The energy inside the pub during the matches is suffocatingly intense. When Hélio Varela scored against Uruguay, the bar erupted into a wall of sound that drowned out the passing N train outside. Beer flew into the air, strangers hugged, and the traditional Cape Verdean funaná music blasted through the speakers right after the final whistle.
How to Experience the Blue Sharks Magic Yourself
If you want to catch the remaining group stage drama and experience the absolute peak of New York World Cup culture, you need to head to Astoria. Don't expect a casual sports bar vibe where people are looking at their phones. This is a singing, chanting, high-octane environment.
- Where to go: Honey Fitz, located in Astoria, Queens. It's easily accessible via the subway.
- When to arrive: At least 90 minutes before kickoff. The bar fills to absolute capacity quickly, and once the fire code limit is hit, the bouncers close the doors.
- What to expect: A packed house, incredible hospitality, and a crowd that treats every single defensive clearance by Pico Lopes like a last-minute match winner.
Get a pint, find a pocket of space near the screens, and enjoy the ride. The World Cup is always at its best when it forces us to rewrite our expectations, and right now, the best story in New York soccer is being told in a crowded Irish pub in Queens.
