Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Argentina faces Cape Verde in a high-stakes World Cup round of 32 match on Friday night in Miami.
- Defending champions Argentina have conceded just once while sweeping all three group matches, while Cape Verde is eyeing a historic upset.
- Lionel Messi leads Argentina with six goals so far, but Cape Verde will defend aggressively to try to pull off the biggest upset of the tournament.
The round of 32 at this World Cup has already seen more than enough drama, with both Germany and the Netherlands bowing out and Brazil, England, Belgium and Portugal all surviving by the skin of their teeth. On Friday night in Miami, however, upstart Cape Verde will be eying the biggest upset of all — probably the biggest upset this tournament has ever seen — as they square off against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
The defending World Cup champions haven't missed a beat so far in 2026, conceding just once while sweeping all three group matches. Granted, Algeria, Jordan and Austria are not the stiffest of competition, but with Messi not having lost a step at age 39 and a hungry new generation in support, La Albiceleste have earned their status as among the favorites to win the whole thing.
Cape Verde, on the other hand, is just thrilled to be here. Hardly anyone expected them to even make their first World Cup, much less force draws with Spain and Uruguay to qualify for the knockout rounds. But Bubista's team won't simply roll over against the big, bad Argentinians. They've proven that they know how to defend, and they won't be outworked.
Keep up to date on Argentina vs. Cape Verde with the latest score, stats and plays from our live tracker.
Argentina vs. Cape Verde live score
Match tracker
Match stats
Match and player odds
Lineups
Play-by-play
Match and team props
Prop | Odds | Halftime Results | Full-time Results |
|---|---|---|---|
Both teams to score | Yes (+165), No (-210) | No | Yes |
First goal | Argentina (-750), Cape Verde (+550), No Goal (+1300) | Argentina | -- |
Argentina goals | Under 2.5 (-125), Over 2.5 (-114) | 1 | 3 |
Cape Verde goals | Over 0.5 (+159), Under 0.5 (-235) | 0 | 2 |
Argentina shots | 18+ (-110) | 4 | 22 |
Cape Verde shots | 7+ (+100) | 1 | 16 |
Argentina scored eight goals across their three group-stage matches, three apiece against Algeria and Jordan and two against Austria. Cape Verde managed two shockers in the draw against Uruguay, but have otherwise been held scoreless so far; expect Bubista and Co. to play behind the ball and defend unless forced to break out of their shell.
Player props
Goals and shots
Player | Anytime goalscorer | Shots | Shots on target | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Lionel Messi | -260 | 6+ (-150) | 3+ (-125) | Yes/9/6 |
Julian Alvarez | -130 | 5+ (+155) | 2+ (-125) | No/1/0 |
Lautaro Martinez | -130 | 5+ (+155) | 2+ (-125) | No/0/0 |
Jose Lopez | +100 | 5+ (-110) | 3+ (+140) | No/0/0 |
Giuliano Simeone | +185 | 4+ (-125) | 2+ (+105) | No/0/0 |
Nico Paz | +185 | 5+ (+150) | 2+ (+110) | No/0/0 |
To no one's surprise, it's been the Messi show for Argentina so far at this World Cup. The GOAT has six of his country's eight goals, including a hat trick in the opener, two against Austria and one more against Jordan. Lautaro MartÃnez and Giovani Lo Celso have the other two goals.
Cape Verde, meanwhile, has scored twice so far on its maiden World Cup journey, both during the Uruguay match — one by Hélio Varela and another by Kevin Pina.
Assists
Player | Odds | Results |
|---|---|---|
Lionel Messi | 1+ (+145) | 0 |
Thiago Almada | 1+ (+155) | 0 |
Giovani Lo Celso | 1+ (+170) | 0 |
Nico Paz | 1+ (+185) | 0 |
Valentin Barco | 1+ (+190) | 0 |
Giuliano Simeone | 1+ (+210) | 0 |
Lisandro Martinez | -- | 1 |
Messi has yet to bag his first assist at this World Cup, but he's a constant threat due to his gravity in the middle of the field. Facundo Medina, Rodrigo De Paul and Nico González have the three assists for Argentina. Cape Verde has yet to tally an assist in this tournament.
*Props via DraftKings
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