What happened: Argentina and Cape Verde meet in the World Cup round of 32 at Miami Stadium on Friday (23:00 BST), a knockout tie pitting the reigning world champions against a nation making its World Cup debut. The framing has centered on Lionel Messi against Vozinha, Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper. Cape Verde reached the last 32 by finishing second in their group.
Why it matters: The gap in pedigree is enormous: Argentina are three-time world champions and record 16-time Copa America winners, while Cape Verde only formed their football federation in 1982 and first entered World Cup qualifying in 2002. Reaching the knockout stage on debut already ranks among the tournament's standout stories, built on group-stage draws against European champions Spain and two-time winners Uruguay. For Argentina, anything less than a comfortable performance would register as a shock.
By the numbers: Cape Verde go into the tie ranked 64th in the world, having drawn 0-0 with Spain, 2-2 with Uruguay and level with Saudi Arabia to qualify second in their group; their first World Cup finals goal came from Kevin Pina, born in the capital Praia. The squad leans heavily on its diaspora, with only Villarreal defender Logan Costa playing in one of Europe's top five leagues. Argentina have not dropped out of the FIFA top three since March 2022 and lifted their most recent World Cup in Qatar, beating France on penalties.
What to watch: Watch how Cape Verde set up defensively against Messi and Argentina's attack, and whether Vozinha can extend the run of resilient performances that carried the debutants this far.