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A place in the World Cup Round of 16 is on the line as Argentina meets Cabo Verde in a Round of 32 clash.
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Argentina enters the knockout stage as the defending world champion and one of the tournament favorites. Lionel Scaloni’s side will look to avoid a major upset against a Cabo Verde team that has exceeded everyone’s expectations.
La Albiceleste cruised through Group J with three straight wins, opening with a 3-0 victory over Algeria before beating Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1.
Meanwhile, tournament debutant Cabo Verde has been one of the biggest surprises of the World Cup. The Blue Sharks advanced to the Round of 32 without losing a match, earning a scoreless draw against Spain, a 2-2 draw with Uruguay, and another 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia.
The winner of this match will advance to the Round of 16, where they will face Egypt after the Pharaohs defeated Australia in a penalty shootout earlier. That means an Argentina victory would set up a showdown between Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah.
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Argentina’s World Cup Knockout Qualification Scenarios
If Argentina Wins: A victory moves the defending world champions into the Round of 16 to face Egypt, keeping their dream of back-to-back global titles alive as they advance further into the bracket.
If Argentina Draws: If the match remains level after the regulation 90 minutes, it will head to extra time under the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage regulations. If the teams still cannot be separated after the additional 30 minutes, a penalty shootout will determine who advances to the Round of 16.
If Argentina Loses: A defeat to the tournament debutants would result in a shocking elimination for Argentina, bringing their 2026 World Cup journey to an end and potentially marking the final World Cup appearance for Lionel Messi.
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This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 2:45 PM.