Messi, Argentina vs. Cape Verde Top Storylines, Odds, Live Stream for World Cup 2026
The ultimate knockout-round mismatch will be on display in Miami on Friday night.
Lionel Messi and Argentina take on Cape Verde, the surprise story of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, in a David-versus-Goliath clash.
Argentina is the reigning World Cup champion with the best player in the world on its roster.
Messi and Co. look like an unstoppable machine and they are expected to win by many goals on Friday.
Cape Verde emerged as the surprise second-place team in Group H over Uruguay.
Cape Verde produced three draws in a row against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to reach the knockout round.
The African side is not expected to be competitive, but for every minute it is, it will gain even more respect for its play than it did for its group-stage success.
Match Info and Odds
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Date: Friday, July 3
Start Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox One or FoxSports.com
To Qualify For Next Round: Argentina (-2000; bet $2,000 to win $100); Cape Verde (+1280; bet $100 to win $1,280)
90-Minute Money Line: Argentina (-700); Cape Verde (+1900); Draw (+650)
Argentina Expected to Win By Multiple Goals
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Argentina should beat Cape Verde by four or five goals.
The talent mismatch is so extreme between the two sides, even if you were to exclude Lionel Messi.
Messi himself should be champing at the bit to score multiple goals, especially after Kylian Mbappe put on another show for France in the round of 32.
Messi has been unstoppable at the 2026 World Cup with six goals. It doesn't matter how good an opponent has played. Messi has cracked the defense and found the back of the net.
Lautaro Martinez and the rest of the supporting cast should chip in with goals as well.
Friday's game will likely be viewed as a warm-up for tougher games ahead for Argentina.
The Albiceleste have their eyes on a potential quarterfinal clash with Colombia. They are expected to win on Friday and beat Australia or Egypt in the round of 16.
Cape Verde With Eyes on One of the Biggest Upsets in World Cup History
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An upset probably isn't going to happen, but that won't stop Cape Verde from believing it could.
Cape Verde held Spain scoreless in its opening group game, a result that can inspire a potentially similar performance against Argentina.
It is worth noting, though, that Lamine Yamal didn't start that game for Spain. That was one of the reasons its attack didn't fire at its best on Matchday 1.
Cape Verde has a strong defensive structure in place. It held Spain and Saudi Arabia to clean sheets.
It must be well organized to deal with anything Messi and Co. throw at it inside Hard Rock Stadium.
Cape Verde needs to take the game in 15-20-minute increments. The first of those stretches will be vital. It can't afford to concede early and let the floodgates open.
Ideally, Cape Verde could take a clean sheet into halftime and let some doubt seep into the Argentina camp, but that seems unlikely given the way Messi's played at the tournament.
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