Lionel Messi has the chance to move ahead of Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot when Argentina face Cape Verde in the round of 32.
Both men have scored six times so far but France captain Mbappe has played a game more.
Messi will fancy his chances against a team ranked 64th in the world.
The defending world champions won’t underestimate Cape Verde, though, after they qualified from the group stage as Group H runners-up having secured a goalless draw with Spain in their opener.
Where to watch Argentina v Cape Verde: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Friday is at 23:00 BST (18:00 ET / 15:00 PT). In the UK, live TV coverage is on ITV1.
Streaming is via ITV’s website and ITVX app, which is available on a vast variety of devices for viewing on the go.
World Cup 2026: Argentina v Cape Verde stats
- Lionel Messi has scored in each of his last seven World Cup appearances for Argentina, setting a new tournament record
- The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has 11 goals in total across that run (5 in the last 4 matches in Qatar 2022, 6 in three in 2026)
- Against Jordan on matchday three, Argentina became the second team to start two players aged at least 38 in a single World Cup edition, with Messi and Nicolas Otamendi following Brazil’s Thiago Silva and Dani Alves in 2022
- Nicolas Otamendi’s 17 World Cup appearances make the River Plate player Argentina’s most-capped defender in the competition history, ahead of Oscar Ruggeri (16)
- Since the start of Qatar 2022, Argentina have been awarded seven penalties in 10 World Cup matches
- Only Spain, Mexico and Brazil bettered Cape Verde’s record of two goals conceded during the group stage, with only La Roja and El Tri Spain keeping more clean sheets than the two they collected
- Cape Verde had 25.7% possession against Spain and were outshot 27 to six and 34.8% against Uruguay, with an attempts count of 12-17
- Against Saudi Arabia, however, they then had 51% of play, 15 attempts to their opponents’ seven and finished on an expected goals total of 1.39 xG to the Green Falcons’ 0.39
- They are the first debutants to go unbeaten in the group stage at the World Cup since Senegal in 2002
- Vozinha is the third goalkeeper in World Cup history to keep more than one clean sheet after turning 40, following Peter Shilton (three) and Dino Zoff (two)
