Round of 32 · Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Argentina
Cape VerdeFriday, July 3, 6:00 PM EDT · 📺 FOX / FOX One
The reigning champions versus the fairytale. Messi plays a World Cup knockout in Miami — his adopted hometown — against the island debutants who already made Spain look ordinary.
Winner goes to the Round of 16. Argentina are chasing back-to-back World Cups. Cape Verde, in the first World Cup in their history, are already living a dream no one on the islands will ever forget.
Cape Verde. A tiny island nation is playing its first-ever World Cup and already held Spain scoreless — root for the underdog and for Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper whose nickname literally means 'granny.'
01Sound smart about this
- Cape Verde is THE story of the tournament: World Cup debutants, and the only debutant nation to reach the knockout rounds. They held mighty Spain to a 0-0 draw — 40-year-old keeper Vozinha made 7 saves and was named man of the match — and posted two clean sheets in three group games.
- Messi at home: Argentina won all three group games, scored five, and conceded zero, with Messi carrying most of the goal threat. And Hard Rock Stadium sits in Miami, the city where he lives and plays his club football — this is as close to a home knockout as it gets.
- Argentina's striker problem: Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez have both gone goalless so far. The finishing has come from Messi himself, and the pressure on the two center-forwards to finally deliver is real.
02Players to actually watchtap a line to copy
Doing the heavy lifting for the champions again — and playing a World Cup knockout in the city he now calls home.
Say this“Messi is basically playing a home game — Hard Rock Stadium is in his city. If Argentina need a moment, it comes from him.”
Argentina's starting No. 9, but he hasn't scored yet this tournament — a knockout against a beatable side is exactly where he needs to break the drought.
Say this“Lautaro hasn't scored all tournament — if he gets one early tonight, Argentina relax and this could get lopsided.”
The 40-year-old folk hero of the World Cup — 7 saves and man of the match against Spain, and around 17 million new Instagram followers to show for it.
Say this“That's Vozinha, he's 40, his nickname means 'granny,' and he single-handedly held Spain scoreless. Everyone loves this guy.”
One of Cape Verde's most experienced attackers and a leader on a squad built to defend deep and hit on the break.
Say this“Cape Verde will sit deep and wait — if they counter, Ryan Mendes is the guy who makes it dangerous.”
03Ask thistap to copy
Cape Verde is the only World Cup debutant to reach the knockout rounds this year — the four newcomers were Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.
Their keeper Vozinha is 40 years old, his nickname means 'granny' in Portuguese, and he's picked up something like 17 million Instagram followers this tournament.
Cape Verde held Spain to 0-0 — Vozinha made 7 saves and was man of the match. That's how they got here.
This is nearly a home game for Messi — Hard Rock Stadium is in Miami, where he lives and plays his club soccer.
Argentina's two starting strikers, Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez, still haven't scored — Messi has been doing it himself.
04Opinions you can safely have
- Cape Verde's whole plan is to defend deep and frustrate, so expect a nervy, low-scoring first hour.
- Argentina have too much quality over 90 minutes — but one Vozinha wonder-save and this stadium gets tense fast.
- If anyone unlocks this, it's Messi. It usually is.
05Jargon of the match
Slipping the ball between an opponent's legs and collecting it on the other side — the ultimate humiliation. If Messi does one tonight, the whole party loses it. Say 'he got nutmegged.'
06The call
Argentina 2-0. Cape Verde make it miserable for an hour, but Messi eventually finds the key — and Vozinha adds two more saves to his legend on the way out.
Facts checked: 2026-07-03. Lineups drop ~1 hour before kickoff.