Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vonzinha expressed his confidence to compete against Argentina and asked the nation’s supporters to get behind them in what will be their biggest match at the competition
Published: July 2, 2026, 4:18 PM IST
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Vozinha, goalkeeper of Cabo Verde, signs for a fan after the group H match between Cabo Verde and Saudi Arabia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Houston Stadium in Houston, the United States, June 26, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)
Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who made the headlines for his performances during their group stage match against Spain, has asked the nation’s supporters to rally behind them in their massive upcoming Round of 32 match against the reigning champions Argentina on Saturday, July 4 at the Miami Stadium.
Cape Verde has already made history by becoming the smallest nation ever to participate in the FIFA World Cup with a population of less than 400 million people. In their debut outing at the quadrennial event, the Island nation raised eyebrows by reaching the knockout rounds, something absolutely no one would have ever thought.
Their campaign started off with a fantastic 0-0 draw against Spain and it was the match where Vozinha first made headlines for making outstanding saves to frustrate the 2010 champions. In their second Group H outing, Cape Verde scored their 1st and 2nd goal of the competition in a hard fought 2-2 draw against inaugural winners Uruguay, who were actually the ones to miss out on a Round of 32 spot from the group.
Cape Verde needed a win or a draw in their last group game against Saudi Arabia and also hope for Spain to beat Uruguay in the concurrent fixture and thankfully for them, everything worked out. The Blue Sharks played out a goalless draw against the Gulf nation while La Roja registered a narrow 1-0 victory against the South Americans.
This helped Cape Verde, also known as Cabo Verde, to reach the knockout round in their maiden World Cup appearance. But their job is not done yet. The Blue Sharks will be up against one of the strongest teams from the group stages – Argentina – who netted a total of 8 goals in the group stages.
But instead of being intimidated by the challenge, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vonzinha expressed his confidence to compete against Argentina and asked the nation’s supporters to get behind them in what will be their biggest match at the competition.
“With your support, we will make history together. None of us dreamed of this, but we know we have quality and, when we got to the World Cup, perhaps many thought we would not win any games. We have a great team and quality players,” Vozinha wrote on X.
“It is gratifying to have qualified for the next phase, and facing Argentina will be very good. It is a dream for any footballer to play against Argentina and Lionel Messi. We did not come here to secure a draw,” Vozinha concluded.
When and where will Argentina Vs Cape Verde, FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match take place?
The Argentina Vs Cape Verde, FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match will take place at the Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 4 from 3:30AM (IST) onwards.
How to watch and stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in India?
Multiple group-stage matches that will take place simultaneously will be aired across Zee5 app and website. Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will also be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.
