Argentina vs Cape Verde now carries a prediction from the top. José Maria Neves said Cape Verde can beat Argentina 1-0 before Friday’s last 32 meeting in Miami, giving the team’s first World Cup knockout tie a sharp headline of its own.
He said, “I think Cape Verde can beat Argentina 1-0,” and added that the team has “100% faith, 100% hope, and it would completely sweat out its jersey. So, we have a 100% chance to win against Argentina.”
Friday in Miami
The match is scheduled for Friday at 22:00 GMT in Miami. That timing matters because Cape Verde are not just chasing a result; they are stepping into the last 32 of the Fifa World Cup for the first time.
Neves also framed the tie as a test Cape Verde wanted. He said, “We went to this World Cup to write our own destiny, which is, facing champions,” and added, “So, we are going to face Argentina and Messi with the same determination, same will, and with a desire to win and reach the next phase.”
Blue Sharks reach the last 32
Cape Verde reached this point by drawing 0-0 with Spain, then 2-2 with Uruguay, before another 0-0 with Saudi Arabia on Saturday. That left them as Group H runners-up after Spain’s win over Uruguay and made them the smallest nation to reach the knockout stages.
The scale of the gap is plain. Sixty-three places separate Cape Verde and Argentina in the world rankings, Argentina are rated the best side on the globe by Fifa, and Cape Verde are rated the 13th best team in Africa. On paper, the prediction is bold; on the field, it sits beside a much harder reality.
Bubista and Deroy Duarte
Pedro Leitão Brito, known as Bubista, said “to us, nothing is impossible” and that one of the team’s purposes was to show their country to the rest of the world. He also said playing Argentina and Lionel Messi in this phase is “excellent for our country, regardless of the match itself.”
Deroy Duarte added the mood inside the group. He said he feels “in a dream” and described the tie against Argentina in the last 32 as “tough,” which is the more grounded read on a night that still invites belief. Can Cape Verde turn a first World Cup run into another surprise against Argentina in Miami?
