The city of Brockton, Massachusetts — home to one of the largest Cape Verdean communities in the United States — has imposed a nightly curfew ahead of Cape Verde's round-of-16 clash with Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, after police reported that celebrations following the team's previous match were marred by shootings, stabbings, and other acts of violence, prompting city officials to request National Guard assistance.
Brockton Mayor Moisés Rodrigues announced what he described as a "temporary security curfew" in the Boston suburb at a press conference. Cape Verde — the island nation off the west coast of Africa that qualified for the World Cup for the first time this year — is set to face Argentina on Friday in the knockout rounds of the tournament.
"The curfew is intended to protect public safety, reduce criminal activity associated with post-match celebrations, and enable police, fire, and emergency teams to maintain order and respond to emergencies effectively," Rodrigues said.
The curfew will run from 10:00 p.m. Friday to 5:00 a.m. Saturday local time in certain areas of Brockton, where thousands had gathered after Cape Verde's World Cup matches, flooding into the streets of the city centre, waving flags, dancing, and celebrating into the early hours of the morning.
Brockton is home to one of the largest Cape Verdean communities in the United States; Cape Verdean nationals make up nearly one-fifth of the city's population, and the community is often referred to as Cape Verde's "11th island."