Cape Verde to Face Defending Champions Argentina in Round of 32

The African island nation of Cape Verde has qualified for the World Cup for the first time and will now compete against Argentina in the Round of 32. Kathmandu, June 27. Making their debut at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Cape Verde delivered a historic performance by finishing as runners-up in Group H to advance to the knockout stage. They are set to face the defending champions, Argentina.

On Saturday morning, Cape Verde secured three points and the runner-up spot in Group H following a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia. After opening their campaign with a goalless draw against former champions Spain, Cape Verde added to their tally with a 2-2 draw against two-time winners Uruguay in their second game. Argentina, the defending champions, topped Group G with consecutive wins and will play Jordan in their final group match on Sunday.

Following the results in Group H’s first two matches, Portugal from Group K, England and Ghana from Group L, and Egypt from Group G have already qualified for the knockout stage. Additionally, Paraguay, positioned third in Group D, has advanced to the knockout rounds as the best third-placed team. So far, out of the 16 matches scheduled for the Round of 32, eight matchups have been confirmed, including South Africa vs. Canada, Brazil vs. Japan, Germany vs. Paraguay, the Netherlands vs. Morocco, Ivory Coast vs. Norway, France vs. Sweden, and co-hosts USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.