Miami to host Argentina vs Cape Verde in World Cup Round of 32

By Arjun Nair / 03.07.2026

By Arjun Nair — 3 July 2026 — 4 min read

Argentina prepares for knockout stage

Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, are set to continue their campaign in the Round of 32 against Cape Verde. The match, described as a David versus Goliath encounter, will take place on Friday at Miami Stadium in Florida, US. The South American giants have advanced to the knockout rounds with a perfect record, securing three victories in three group-stage matches.

The team’s strong performance has been significantly boosted by Lionel Messi, who has scored six goals in the tournament. Messi, at 39 years old, is a leading contender for the Golden Boot, currently tied with Kylian Mbappe of France. His contributions have been central to Argentina’s journey, with coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledging the challenge posed by their upcoming opponent.

Scaloni has cautioned against underestimating Cape Verde, despite Argentina being considered strong favorites. He stated that his team has been analyzing potential opponents, including Cape Verde, and is not surprised by their qualification. Scaloni emphasized the need to respect Cape Verde as a capable team that earned its place in the knockout stage.

Cape Verde’s historic World Cup run

Cape Verde, a small island nation, has made history by becoming the smallest country to reach the World Cup knockout stages. They are one of only four debutant teams to advance to the Round of 32. Their remarkable journey has captured the attention of football fans globally, establishing them as a neutral’s favorite.

The team’s success has been built on resilience and a fearless approach, according to coach Bubista. He affirmed that Cape Verde will maintain its established working methods and confidence against Argentina. The team progressed through the group stage without a loss, achieving a goalless draw against European champions Spain, a 2-2 draw with Uruguay, and another 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia. This made them the first team since Chile in the 1998 FIFA World Cup to reach the knockout rounds after drawing all three group-stage matches.

Goalkeeper Vozinha has been a pivotal figure in Cape Verde’s campaign, recording two clean sheets in the tournament. At 40 years old, he joins an exclusive group of goalkeepers, including England legend Peter Shilton and Italy great Dino Zoff, who have achieved multiple clean sheets in a World Cup after turning 40. Shilton holds the record for most clean sheets after the age of 40, with three.

Vozinha delivered an emotional message ahead of the match, urging the nation to unite. He shared on social media that the team would be playing not just as eleven players, but as an entire nation. He emphasized unity, stating, “Tomorrow, there are no islands. There is no distance. There are no borders. Tomorrow we are one. One people, one flag, one heart beating for Cape Verde.” He called for the team’s strength, culture, spirit, and courage to be felt throughout the match, concluding with “Our land, Our people, Our dream.”

Match details and team news

The match is scheduled for Friday, July 3, at 6pm (22:00 GMT). This will be the first time Argentina and Cape Verde have met in an international fixture. Argentina has a strong record against African opponents in the World Cup, having won their last seven such games. However, their very first match against an African team resulted in a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in 1990.

Cape Verde’s appearance in the knockout stages marks them as only the third side to face the reigning World Cup holders in their debut knockout appearance. The previous instances include Norway losing 2-1 to Italy in 1938 and Ghana being defeated 3-0 by Brazil in 2006.

Regarding team news, no injuries have been reported for Argentina. However, Cape Verde will be without Telmo Arcanjo due to a hamstring injury. Left-back Sidny Lopes Cabral will be available for selection after serving a one-match ban. The predicted lineup for Argentina is a 4-4-2 formation: Martinez (goalkeeper); Molina, Romero, Martinez, Medina; De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Almada; Messi, Martinez. Cape Verde’s predicted lineup is a 4-1-4-1 formation: Vozinha (goalkeeper); Moreira, Lopes, Borges, Cabral; Pina; Mendes, Duarte, Monteiro, Semedo; Livramento.

According to pre-match simulations, Argentina has an 81 percent chance of winning the game in regulation time and an 89.4 percent chance of advancing to the last 16. From 25,000 simulations, Cape Verde progressed in only 10.6 percent of the scenarios. If Argentina progresses, they could face Australia or Egypt in the last 16, with potential quarter-final opponents being Switzerland or Colombia.

The match will kick off at 6pm Eastern Daylight Time in the United States.

Source: aljazeera.com