The defending champions, Argentina and Leo Messi, will go against Cape Verde, a team that many expected wouldn’t win a single game this World Cup. But before heading into the fixture, let’s talk about how Verde, the smallest country to reach knockout stage in the 2026 World Cup fare against the likes of a giant like Argentina.
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Argentina have reached the knockout stage and are exactly where they were expected to be. But the surprise story has belonged to Cape Verde. The reigning champions rank 2nd in the FIFA Rankings with 1907.40 points, just behind France. While Cape Verde rank 64th in the rankings with just 1402.97 points.
And if we look at their history, Argentina have been at the top of the table multiple times this century and even just a few months ago. But the highest Cape Verde has ever ranked in their history is 27th back in 2014.
| Team | Group | Matchday 1 | Matchday 2 | Matchday 3 | Group Finish |
| Argentina | Group J | Beat Algeria 3-0 | Beat Austria 2-0 | Beat Jordan 3-1 | Finished 1st |
| Cape Verde | Group H | Drew Spain 0-0 | Drew Uruguay 2-2 | Drew Saudi Arabia 0-0 | Finished 2nd |
With those group results showing the defensive performances of Cape Verde, this game is going to be about the defensive compactness of Cape Verde vs the attacking quality of Argentina.
Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez will carry Argentina’s biggest attacking threat, while veteran goalkeeper Vozinha is their strongest weapon, and Cape Verde’s organized backline consists of Diney Borges and Pico.
Cape Verde’s only realistic path into the Round of 16 depends on how well they manage to keep out Lionel Messi and co., because we have seen how dangerous they can be in attack with Messi leading the scoring list with 6 goals.
But we have seen that the World Cup has never been as straightforward as we think of it. Remember one of the biggest upsets back in 2010?
In 2010, a group stage game featured 83rd-ranked South Africa and 9th-ranked France. By the time of the final whistle, South Africa had beaten France 2-1. The gap between the teams was 74 places.
Not just that, Argentina themselves saw a major upset in the last World Cup when they lost 2-1 to 51st-ranked Saudi Arabia. With such results in mind, this World Cup has no favorites.
Other major upsets in the history of the FIFA World Cup
Every tournament brings moments that completely change expectations and leave supporters watching in complete disbelief. And one such moment may come in the Argentina-Cape Verde game.
Although Cape Verde beating Argentina will be a big shock given the history of the FIFA World Cup, it is just another one in the long list of shockers.
The biggest example came in 1950 when Uruguay stunned hosts Brazil 2-1 in front of 173,850 fans at the Maracanã.
Brazil had crushed Sweden 7-1 and Spain 6-1 before the decider and needed only a draw. But Juan Alberto Schiaffino and Alcides Ghiggia turned the game around, creating the famous “Maracanazo” that still echoes in the memories of many football fans.
More than 50 years later, another defending champion suffered a similar fate when Senegal faced France in 2002.
Papa Bouba Diop scored the only goal as World Cup debutants Senegal stunned France 1-0 and reached the quarterfinals. Those unforgettable nights explain why Cape Verde defeating Argentina might send a massive jolt, but World Cup history will treat it as another big team loss.
