Defending world champions Argentina begin their knockout stage campaign against tournament surprise package Cape Verde, with fans expecting more magic from Lionel Messi, Lateron, Friday, while Colombia and Ghana go head-to-head in another eagerly anticipated clash.

Event #1 – World Cup – Argentina vs Cape Verde – 5:00 PM

Defending champions Argentina cruised through the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, comfortably beating Austria, Jordan and Algeria. Messi and his team scored nine goals and conceded just once, underlining their status as serious contenders to retain the title. A round-of-32 tie against Cape Verde, who began the tournament as 1000-1 outsiders, could hardly have been a more favourable draw. If Argentina prevail, either Australia or Egypt will await them in the quarter-finals, which is unlikely to trouble a Messi-led side in this form. There had been concerns about how much Lionel Messi, now 38, still had to offer on the world stage, but he answered those questions emphatically by scoring six goals in the group stage and putting himself firmly in the Golden Boot race.

Blue Sharks in deep water — Cape Verde, as they are known — showed grit and determination to hold Spain to a draw in their opening match of the tournament, before recording further draws against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. The Blue Sharks are enjoying a dream run after advancing as runners-up to Spain, and they will now aim to produce one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history by knocking out defending champions Argentina on Friday.

Key Stats

• Argentina has won their last 10 matches, including four consecutive victories without conceding a goal.

• Cape Verde have failed to score in two of their last three matches and have faced 51 shots on goal in their three group-stage games — a tournament record.

• Both sides – Argentina have won their last nine matches, scoring at least three goals in each, while Cape Verde have drawn their last three matches, scoring two goals and conceding two.

The betting tip: Argentina win.

Cape Verde’s forward Gilson Benchimol (centre) and Cape Verde’s defender Stopira (right) take part in an MD-1 training session at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on July 2, 2026, on the eve of the 2026 World Cup round-of-32 football match between Argentina and Cape Verde. (Photo: AFP)

Event #2 World Cup – Colombia vs Ghana – 8:30 PM

Colombia beat Portugal to the top spot in their group and will be aiming to reach the round of 16 by beating Ghana when both nations meet on Friday. Indeed, the Colombians have never struggled to produce world-class talent but for one reason or another they have flattered to deceive on the big stage since making the quarterfinals in Brazil in 2014. Surprisingly, Colombia crashed out in the last 16 in Russia 2018 and failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. but they now have a serious chance of at least emulating their best World Cup finish in this tournamentas they are in excellent form having only lost to heavyweights France and Croatia since March last year.

Ghana, on the other hand, “somewhat fortunate” to qualify for the knockout stage. In their 1-0 win over Panama, they had only two shots on target but scored a 95th minute winner, while they had just two shots in total in the 0-0 draw against England, they then scored with their only effort on goal in the 2-1 loss to Croatia to advance as one of the best third placed teams. Ghana will need to produce more in the attacking third of the pitch if they are to provide a challenge to the marauding Colombia side and advance to the quarter-finals. However, recent results have also been disappointing as they have won just a single game in their last nine outings, losing six during this run.

Key Stats

• Colombia have lost only two of their last 16 matches and have kept three clean sheets in their last four.

• Ghanahave won just one of their last nine matches, scoring only five goals during that run.

• Both sides — Colombia has scored at least twice in eight of their last 13 matches, while Ghana have lost six of their last nine matches.

The betting tip: Colombia wins.