Defending champions Argentina meet the fairytale side, Cape Verde, in the Round of 32 stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Miami. The winners will face either Australia or Egypt in the Round of 16 next week.
Argentina vs Cape Verde FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Details
Date: Friday, 3 July 2026 / Saturday, 4 July 2026
Kick-off: 19:00 (EST) / 03:30 (IST)
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Argentina vs Cape Verde FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Preview
Holders Argentina once again showed why they remain one of the favourites to retain the World Cup after completing a perfect group stage for the first time since the 2014 edition, when they reached the final. Remarkably, at the age of 39, Lionel Messi continued to be the main man for La Albiceleste as he scored six of the eight goals his nation managed at the group stage while breaking several records, including becoming the record goalscorer in the World Cup, scoring in five different editions and topping the Golden Boot list this tournament, alongside Kylian Mbappe. He started with a magnificent hat-trick, the oldest to do so, in the dominating 3-0 victory against Algeria in the opening group game and then struck a brace in the 2-0 win against Austria to seal their place in the knockout round. Messi also came off the bench to score the sealer in the 3-1 victory against Jordan in the final group game, becoming the joint-most scorer from free-kicks in the World Cup and the only player to score in seven consecutive games in the competition, to enter the Round of 32 with an emphatic style. Argentina now meet the tournament’s surprise debutants Cape Verde in the Round of 32, hoping to continue their defence of the world title by extending their sensational 10-game winning streak. The game will be played at Inter Miami’s own stomping ground, so it goes without saying whose show is expected on Friday as he looks to take the outright lead on the scoring chart of the 2026 finals again. Here’s Argentina FIFA World Cup All Time Records and Stats
The Cinderella story of the World Cup was scripted by Cape Verde as they became the first team to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup in their debut campaign since Slovakia in 2010 and are the seventh team since 1986 to do so in the competition's history. Also, they became only the fourth team to escape the group stages without registering a single win and drawing every group game since Chile in 1998. The Blue Sharks also became the smallest nation ever by population to reach the knockout stage in the history of the World Cup. They had a memorable start to their 2026 World Cup with a humongous result in picking a point against a side like Spain without letting them score, courtesy of their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, whose marvellous performance made him an overnight social media star. They went to restrict another legacy side in Uruguay in a 2-2 thriller in the second group game. Bubista's team played out another goalless draw against Saudi Arabia in their final group game and with Uruguay losing to Spain, managed to grab the second spot in the group. Cape Verde will now look to create the biggest upset ever as they face none other than defending champions Argentina in a historic Round of 32 tie. The African outfit has nothing to fear, knowing their disciplined backline has troubled the elites, even though they are the lowest scoring sides in the finals. Bubista's team will play without expectations, having already proven they are not here simply to make the numbers.
Argentina vs Cape Verde FIFA World Cup 2026 Form
Argentina: WWW
Cape Verde: DDD
Argentina vs Cape Verde FIFA World Cup 2026 Predicted Lineups
Argentina (4-3-3): Emi Martínez; Molina, Romero, Lisandro, Medina; De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernández, Almada; Lautaro, Messi
Cape Verde (4-1-4-1): Vozinha; Moreira, Pico, Borges, S. Cabral; Pina; Mendes, Duarte, Monteiro, J. Cabral; Livramento
Argentina vs Cape Verde FIFA World Cup 2026 Prediction
If there is any side that is capable of making constant giant killings at the moment, it looks to be Cape Verde, but even then, doing it against Argentina, with Messi scoring like in his prime years, will require a truly phenomenal performance. Lionel Scaloni’s team has not lost a single knockout game since the 2019 Copa America final, so only a catastrophic failure will stop them from extending that record here.
FT: Argentina 2-0 Cape Verde
