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Who: Argentina vs Cape Verde
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup – Round 32
Location: Miami Stadium, Florida, USA
Date and time: Friday 3rd July, 6pm (22:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 19:00 GMT before the live text commentary stream.
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Star-studded Argentina continue their World Cup defense when they face Cape Verde on Friday in a battle that has been likened to a David vs. Goliath battle.
The 2022 title holders entered the knockout stages with three wins out of three, thanks to a masterclass from Lionel Messi. Messi appears to be enjoying his best World Cup yet.
The 39-year-old continues to break records on the world’s biggest stage and his six goals have made him an early candidate for the Golden Boot.
Giants Argentina are clear favorites to win against small island nation Cape Verde, who have become neutral favorites. Only one of the four debutant nations made it to the round of 32, Cape Verde is expected to be the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup finals.
Here’s what you need to know about Argentina vs. Cape Verde.
How did Argentina and Cape Verde make it to the last 32?
Argentina won Group J with nine points. Here is the resulting list:
Cape Verde finished second in Group H with three points. Here is the resulting list:
Argentina in good shape, wary of surprise package Cape Verde
Argentina will play in Miami, home of Messi’s club Inter Miami, but Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni dismissed the notion that Cape Verde will be an easy opponent for the two-time world champions.
Cape Verde, a country of just over 500,000 people, has had a World Cup campaign that not only raised the profile of the team, but also put the island nation on the map.
“They are a good team. We have already watched them, not only because we play against them, but because we analyzed potential opponents and they qualified,” Scaloni said.
“To be honest, we are not surprised. They are a good team and it is not a coincidence that they are here. We have to respect them and that is what we will do.”
Meanwhile, Cape Verde coach Buvista said the team’s fearless approach that helped them qualify and advance through the group stage will remain the same against Argentina.
“Since our arrival, we have believed in the way we work and what we have done. If others do not respect us, that is their problem. We believe in our work,” he added.
Argentina has a legitimate route to the semi-finals. If Argentina ends Cape Verde’s fairy tale, Australia or Egypt will await them in the last 16, while Switzerland or Colombia are likely to be their quarter-final opponents.
Argentina vs. Cape Verde predictions
Opta’s supercomputer calculated that Argentina had an 81 percent chance of winning the match in the allotted time and an 89.4 percent chance of progressing to the last 16.
Out of 25,000 pre-match simulations, Cape Verde only progressed by 10.6%.
Argentina vs. Cape Verde: kick-off time, TV channels
Argentina: TyC Sports, TyC Sports Play (7pm ADT) Cape Verde: SuperSport, New World TV, DStv (10pm ADT) UK: ITV1, ITVX, STV, STV Player (11pm BST) US: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (6pm EDT)
To see the TV listings for your country, visit the FIFA TV listings schedule here.
Argentina vs Cape Verde: Head-to-head
Friday’s match will be the first meeting between Argentina and Cape Verde.
Argentina have won each of their last seven matches against African opponents at the World Cup, but failed in their first match and lost 1-0 to Cameroon in 1990.
Another piece of history for Cape Verde is that they became the third team to face the World Cup holders in the knockout stage for the first time since Norway lost 2-1 to Italy in 1938 and Ghana lost 3-0 to Brazil in 2006.
Argentina vs Cape Verde: Team News
No injuries were reported in Argentina’s camp, although Cape Verde’s Telmo Arcandio is out with a hamstring injury. Left-back Sidney López Cabral will be able to play again after receiving a one-match suspension against Saudi Arabia after receiving yellow cards against Spain and Uruguay.
Argentina’s projected lineup
(4-4-2): Martinez (goalkeeper); Molina, Romero, Martinez, Medina. De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernandes, Almada. messi, martinez
Cape Verde expected lineup
(4-1-4-1): Vosinya (goalkeeper). Moreira, López, Borges, Cabral. Pina; Mendez, Duarte, Monteiro, Semedo. Librament
