Cape Verde face Argentina as the world's favorite underdog

Argentina in Miami, Friday night

Argentina have landed in Miami (3). Cape Verde face the world champions in the Round of 32 at Hard Rock Stadium this Friday, July 3 (3) (10). The fixture is set for the night slot heading into Saturday (10). Your team walks in as the number 67 side in the world, having already punched through a group stage nobody expected them to survive (2).

"We will play without fear"

That is the word from training. Moises Sabino Ebora, the only Cape Verdean journalist at the camp, put it plainly: "Cabo Verde jugará sin miedo" (6). Assistant coach Moises Sabino Ebora says the squad wants to play with its own identity against Argentina, no matter the gulf in pedigree.

Argentina's lineup is nearly set

Scaloni has only one doubt left for Friday (5). The rest of the XI looks locked. That is the Argentina your team faces: settled, prepared, and with Messi leading them into a stadium where murals of him already cover the walls (10).

Sidny Lopes Cabral, from the Bernabéu to the biggest stage

Left-back Sidny Lopes Cabral once shared a dressing room with Otamendi and played Champions League football at the Santiago Bernabéu (4). Now he lines up on the opposite side. That kind of journey runs through this squad: a former postman, a player scouted on LinkedIn. Cape Verde got here the hard way.

Vozinha's World Cup keeps getting bigger

Your goalkeeper is riding the wave. Vozinha has landed his first sponsorship deal after his group-stage performances, and his Instagram following has exploded (7). He has been offered to Brazilian club Ceará, currently with GD Chaves (7). He also wears custom Mendoza-model boots, designed by an Argentine (8). On Friday he will wear them against the country that designed them.

Spain still shaking off the draw

Spain 0–0 Cape Verde in the group stage. It is still hurting them. Spanish outlets describe the result as having left "malaria" in the squad, and they went into their Austria match desperate to shake it off (9). Your team held a European giant to nothing.

A Ghanaian prediction hangs in the air

A spiritualist from Ghana has publicly predicted Cape Verde will eliminate Argentina (team background). It is the kind of story that follows this team now. Underdogs with a hex, and a date in Miami.

Fan reactions

Cape Verde supporters online are treating Friday like a festival, not a funeral. The mood is defiant, almost giddy: nobody expected to be here, so every minute against Argentina is stolen time. One thread captures it well: fans are already celebrating the journey regardless of what happens at Hard Rock Stadium. See the discussion here.