Argentina vs Cape Verde: World Cup Round of 32: Messi, prediction, kickoff

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkLionel Messi takes part in a training session ahead of Argentina's 2026 World Cup Round of 32 match against Cape Verde [Juan Mabromata/AFP]By Manasi PathakPublished On 3 Jul 20263 Jul 2026Five wins to go. How can your team reach the final and win the World Cup 2026? Click here to find out.Who: Argentina vs Cape Verde What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 Where: Miami Stadium, Florida, US When: Friday, July 3, at 6pm (22:00 GMT) How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 19:00 GMT before our live text commentary stream.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Senegal’s World Cup agony: Nation left rueing last-gasp collapselist 2 of 3Ronaldo scores as Portugal come back to win, Croatia denied by late VARlist 3 of 3‘They gave their best’: Congolese reflect on historic World Cup runend of listStar-studded Argentina continue their defence of the World Cup, facing Cape Verde on Friday in a contest likened to a David vs Goliath battle.The 2022 title-holders have stormed their way into the knockouts with three wins out of three, thanks to the masterclass of Lionel Messi, who seems to be enjoying his best World Cup yet.His six goals have made him an early contender for the Golden Boot, as the 39-year-old continues to break records on the world’s biggest stage.Giants Argentina are clear favourites against Cape Verde, the tiny island nation that has become the neutrals’ favourites. Only one of the four debutants to reach the Round of 32, Cape Verde is set to become the smallest country to feature in the World Cup knockouts.Here’s everything you need to know about Argentina vs Cape Verde:How did Argentina and Cape Verde reach the round of 32?Argentina were the winners of Group J with nine points. Here’s a list of their results: 3-0 win over Algeria 2-0 win over Austria 3-1 win over Jordan Cape Verde were the runners-up of Group H with three points. Here’s a list of their results: 0-0 draw with Spain 2-2 draw with Uruguay 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia Lionel Messi has scored six goals and could overtake Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race when Argentina face Cape Verde in the last 32 [Jay Biggerstaff/Reuters]In-form Argentina wary of surprise package Cape VerdeAlthough Argentina head into the game in Miami – the home of Messi’s club Inter Miami – Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni rejected suggestions that Cape Verde will be easy opponents for the two-time world champions.The country of just more than half a million inhabitants, Cape Verde’s World Cup campaign has not only raised the profile of the squad but also put the entire island-nation on the map.“They’re a good team. We’ve already watched them, not just because we are ‌playing against them, but because we were analysing potential opponents and then they qualified,” Scaloni said.“We are not surprised, to be honest. They are a good team, and they are not here by chance. We must respect them and that’s what we will do.”Meanwhile, Cape Verde coach Bubista said his team’s fearless approach, which helped them through the qualification and the group stage, would not change against Argentina.“Since we arrived, we have trusted in our own way of working and in what we have done. If others did not respect us, that was their issue. We ⁠trust our work,” he added.Argentina have a kind route to the semifinals. Australia or Egypt await in the last 16 if Argentina end the Cape Verde fairytale, while Switzerland or Colombia are likely quarterfinal opponents.Argentina vs Cape Verde predictionOpta’s supercomputer has calculated an 81 percent chance of Argentina winning the game in regulation time, and an 89.4 percent chance of reaching the last 16.From 25,000 pre-match simulations, Cape Verde only progressed in 10.6 percent of the simulations.Argentina vs Cape Verde: Kickoff time, TV channel Argentina: TyC Sports, TyC Sports Play (7pm, Argentina Standard Time) Cape Verde: SuperSport, New World TV, DStv (10pm, Cape Verde Standard Time) United Kingdom: ITV1, ITVX, STV, STV Player (11pm, British Summer Time) United States: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (6pm, Eastern Daylight Time) To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.Argentinian fans display a banner depicting Messi and Diego Maradona kissing the World Cup trophy [Paul Ellis/AFP]Argentina vs Cape Verde: Head-to-headFriday’s game will be the first meeting between Argentina and Cape Verde.Argentina have won each of their last seven games against African opponents at the World Cup, but did slip up in their very first such match, losing 1-0 to Cameroon in 1990.Another piece of history for Cape Verde sees them become just the third side to face the World Cup holders in the knockout stages of their debut appearance, after Norway lost 2-1 to Italy in 1938, and Ghana were beaten 3-0 by Brazil in 2006.Argentina vs Cape Verde: Team newsNo injuries have been reported in the Argentina camp, but Cape Verde’s Telmo Arcanjo is out with a hamstring injury. Left back Sidny Lopes Cabral will be available again after serving a one-match ban against Saudi Arabia for picking up yellow cards against Spain and Uruguay.Argentina’s predicted lineup(4-4-2): Martinez (goalkeeper); Molina, Romero, Martinez, Medina; De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Almada; Messi, MartinezCape Verde’s predicted lineup(4-1-4-1): Vozinha (goalkeeper); Moreira, Lopes, Borges, Cabral; Pina; Mendes, Duarte, Monteiro, Semedo; LivramentoWith two clean sheets, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha has been their key player [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]