Reigning champions Argentina narrowly avoided one of the all-time great upsets as they beat Cape Verde 3-2 in one of the best matches in recent World Cup history. Sidny Lopes Cabral scored a remarkable goal-of-the-tournament contender when he curled a shot past Emiliano Martinez to draw Cape Verde level after Lisandro Martinez’s strike in extra time.

Argentina survived one of the most dramatic FIFA men's World Cup knockout-round games in recent memory.

Argentina colors are sky blue and white, in contrast to the deep blue color scheme of Cape Verde, that mostly looked clumped around a few sections of the sold-out stadium in Miami Gardens. The singing of the national anthems confirmed the imbalance: joyful belting booming during Argentina’s, and solemn standing during Cape Verde’s.

Argentina defeated Cabo Verde after extra time to advance to the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

A Night of Football Excitement In the early hours, Amitabh Bachchan was one of the many devoted fans captivated by the intense action of a thrilling World Cup match. The game featuring Argentina and the newcomers Cabo Verde commenced at 3:30 am IST at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

BTCC, the world’s longest-serving cryptocurrency exchange, is recording a standout result from its 15 Years in the Game: The BTCC World Cup Showdown campaign, with futures trading volume surging up to 55% ahead of Argentina’s World Cup match days.

Scotland scrum coach Peter De Villiers says Scotland have improved since their chastening defeat by the Pumas at Murrayfield in November.The inaugural Nations Championship starts on Saturday, with Scotland facing Argentina in Cordoba (20:10 BST).

Get Argentina vs. Cape Verde predictions, Polymarket prices, Dimers' latest simulations, player prop probabilities, and best bets for Friday's World Cup match.