MIAMI — Inter Miami CF captain Leo Messi will lead defending champion Argentina against Cape Verde in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 at Miami Stadium, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. ET Friday. Messi enters the knockout stage as the tournament’s leading scorer with six goals and the all-time men’s World Cup record holder with 19 career goals in the competition.
Argentina won Group J with a perfect record of three wins and nine points, dispatching Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1. Messi scored in all three group-stage fixtures — a hat-trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria and one goal against Jordan — breaking the record to become the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer.
Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who started Argentina’s first two group-stage matches and contributed an assist against Algeria, joins Messi in the squad for a second consecutive World Cup. De Paul was a key figure in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup title run and has earned 89 caps with two goals for La Albiceleste.
Cape Verde enters the match as a historic underdog, advancing to the knockout stages in the African nation’s debut World Cup campaign. Cape Verde finished second in Group H with three points after drawing Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
Messi’s international résumé is unmatched. The 202-cap veteran holds the record for most goals scored for Argentina with 123 and the international record for most World Cup match appearances with 29. He is the only player to score in the World Cup group stage, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final. Beyond the 2022 World Cup title, he led Argentina to the 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América titles and the 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions crown.
Fans can watch the match live in English on FOX and in Spanish on Telemundo and Peacock.