Group J winners Argentina had a smooth run to the knockout rounds with nine points from a possible nine and only conceding once as Lionel Messi continues his brilliant run with six goals already.

Meanwhile, Cape Verde have been the tournament fairytale with the African side finishing second in Group H ahead of Uruguay and Saudi Arabia only behind European champions Spain.

The small African nation are undefeated at the 2026 World Cup so far with three draws in three games. An opening game 0-0 draw to Spain was a monumental achievement. Shortly followed by a 2-2 draw with Uruguay and a tense 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia as the FIFA world ranked 67 nation bagged their place in the knockout rounds.

Lionel Scaloni's side saw off Algeria in their opening game with a comfortable 3-0 win thanks to a Messi hat trick. The veteran was soon the hero again as they defeated Austria in a 2-0 win with a Messi brace. The 39-year-old was rested in their final game against Jordan after already confirming top spot in Group J. A 3-1 win with a Messi free kick off the bench kept the high standard for the Argentines.

The two sides face off in Miami on July 3rd at 6pm local time (11pm BST) in what is truly a David vs Goliath story. Defending champions Argentina have been formidable with Messi seeming unstoppable as he returns to the home of his club Inter Miami, but this tournament has proven to never write off the Cape Verdeans.

The winner of the tie will face one of Australia and Egypt. The winner will be known by the time we reach kickoff, with the Socceroos and the Pharaohs facing off just before Argentina and Cape Verde.

After starting on the bench in Argentina's final game of Group J, Rodrigo De Paul, Lionel Messi, Alexis Mac Allister and Lisandro Martinez are likely to all return to the starting XI as the core components of Scaloni's squad.

Whilst Tottenham Hotspur's Cristian Romero appeared to have sustained a knee injury in Argentina's win over Austria, the 28-year-old is reportedly suitable to start ahead of veteran alternative Nicolas Otamendi.

The performances of Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez have raised questions over their deservingness to start, especially with exciting talents like Nico Paz eager on the bench and Giovanni Lo Celso standing out with his showing against Jordan.

Meanwhile for the Blue Sharks, Telmo Arcanjo, Jamiro Monteiro and Kevin Lenini all suffered injuries in Cape Verde's group stage games, but only Arcanjo has seen absences from the squad following his injury.

Star player and now social media icon Vozinha will continue to be the last line of defence in the Cape Verdean goal. The 40-year-old has tallied 17.6 million Instagram followers after his historic display keeping a clean sheet against Spain.

Argentina 4-1 Cape Verde

The game looks set for an Argentinian win, with the South Americans having a favourable run to the final and momentum to build on. Their games in the group stage have shown pure domination in possession with quick interplay and fluidity within the side.

Opponents have simply struggled to keep up with the intensity, even Ralf Rangnick's relentless pressing Austrian side. Argentina's quality on the ball, game management and depth from the bench will surely be too much for the Cape Verdean defence. 

Whilst the World Cup debutants have found joy from being defensive and resorting to direct counter attacking play, Argentina's cohesion of passing on opponents and suffocation players will limit any opportunity  to surprise the FIFA world Ranked number ones.

The Argentines are not perfect though, with Jordan beating Emiliano Martinez in goal for the first time this tournament with a similarly defensive, counter-attacking style.

Overall, the Argentines will likely establish a comfortable early lead with the Cape Verdeans seeing limited chances. A goal for the African side could come from a fast break taking the Argentinian defence by surprise, but the Argentine quality will ultimately be too much to handle.