Cape Verde's forward #07 Jovane Cabral greets Argentina's forward #10 Lionel Messi at the end of the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between Argentina and Cape Verde at the Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens on July 3, 2026. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)
Applause erupted, drums began to beat, and car horns honked: Cape Verde’s narrow loss to Argentina was cause for celebration early Saturday in Praia as the Blue Sharks’ World Cup dream run came to a sad but brilliant end.
The African archipelago of just over 500,000 people progressed to the knockout stages in their first-ever World Cup after drawing with European champions Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia in the group stage.
However, after an epic last-32 contest in Miami where Cape Verde pushed Argentina to the brink, the reigning world champions snatched a 3-2 win to move on, and the rank outsiders’ journey was over.
“We lost the match, but we feel like we achieved a victory because we held our own against the world champions,” fan Adilson Soaresz told AFP. “Cape Verde was magnificent”.
