Cape Verde captain Ryan Mendes is under police investigation in New Zealand following allegations of rape, according to reports from the New Zealand Herald.

Mendes, 36, is the all-time leading goalscorer for Cape Verde and has earned 100 caps for his country. He stands accused of raping a Brazilian woman who was working with the team during a FIFA Series event held in New Zealand earlier this year.

The woman has alleged that Mendes forced his way into her room at an Auckland hotel before assaulting her. Mendes is currently under investigation and has not been charged.

New Zealand authorities were first reported in May to be investigating an unnamed Cape Verde footballer. Mendes has since been identified as the player in question.

FIFA responds

In a statement provided to The Athletic, a FIFA spokesperson said: "FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously and has a clear process in place for anyone in football who wants to report an incident."

"FIFA is in contact with the New Zealand authorities. Please understand we cannot comment further at this stage."

The FIFA spokesperson also noted that the organisation's independent judicial bodies do not publicly comment on allegations or investigations that may or may not be underway.

Cape Verde at the World Cup

Despite the off-field developments, Mendes has featured in all three of Cape Verde's group-stage matches at the World Cup. The team drew against Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia to progress unbeaten to the last 32, where they face Argentina in Miami on 3 July.

Mendes is expected to line up against Argentina when the two sides meet in Miami.

Other players facing allegations

Mendes is not alone among World Cup players facing such serious allegations. Morocco's Achraf Hakimi and Ghana's Thomas Partey are both under scrutiny. Partey, charged in July 2025 by London's Metropolitan Police with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, was denied entry to Canada for Ghana's opening match against Panama but did play against England in Boston.