The FIFA World Cup Round of 32 closes Friday with three matches, led by Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina facing Cabo Verde.
Egypt and Australia open the day in Dallas, with Argentina and Cabo Verde following in Miami before Colombia and Ghana meet in Kansas City. The winners move into the Round of 16, with the Egypt-Australia winner likely facing Argentina or Cabo Verde in Atlanta on July 7.
Egypt And Australia Meet In Dallas
No. 26 Egypt and No. 28 Australia enter their Round of 32 match separated by only two places in the FIFA Rankings.
Australia finished second behind the Americans in Group D after a 2-0 win over Türkiye, a 2-0 loss to the United States and a 0-0 draw with Paraguay. The Aussies are playing in a sixth straight World Cup and are trying to reach the Round of 16 for the second tournament in a row after Argentina eliminated them at the same stage four years ago in Qatar.
Connor Matcalfe and Nestory Irankunda have Australia’s two goals at the tournament. Goalkeeper Patrick Beach, 22, started every group match ahead of captain Mathew Ryan, 34; the Melbourne City goalkeeper had one national-team appearance before this World Cup and allowed two goals in the group stage.
Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah, is playing in its fourth World Cup and is trying to reach the Round of 16 for the first time since its 1934 tournament debut. Egypt drew Belgium 1-1, beat New Zealand 3-1 and drew Iran 1-1 to finish second in Group G.
Five Egypt players have scored at the tournament, including Salah. The 34-year-old is two goals from tying Hossam Hassan, the country’s all-time leader, on 69.
Messi Leads Argentina Against Cabo Verde
No. 1 Argentina faces No. 64 Cabo Verde after Paraguay produced the biggest upset of the Round of 32 so far by beating Germany on penalties earlier in the week.
Messi, playing in the city of his club team Inter Miami, is appearing in a record-tying sixth FIFA World Cup. The 39-year-old is level with French star Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race with six goals, though Mbappé has played one more match.
Messi scored three times in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria, added two goals in a 2-0 victory over Austria and scored as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Jordan in the Group J finale. He has 123 goals for Argentina, including 19 at the World Cup, one ahead of Mbappe for the most in tournament history.
Argentina is trying to defend the title it won in Qatar and claim a fourth World Cup. Cabo Verde, an island nation off West Africa, is in the knockout stage in its first World Cup appearance after three draws in Group H.
The Blue Sharks drew Spain 0-0, Uruguay 2-2 and Saudi Arabia 0-0 to finish second behind Spain despite no wins and only two goals. Kevin Pina and Hélio Varela scored those goals, while 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha has become a national hero; Vozinha Instagram following has risen from 50,000 to 17.5m during the tournament.
There has also been controversy around Cabo Verde, with captain Ryan Mendes, the nation’s all-time leading scorer, reportedly under investigation by New Zealand police regarding rape allegations from earlier this year.
Colombia Face Ghana For Switzerland Spot
The final Round of 32 match sends No. 11 Colombia against No. 65 Ghana in Kansas City, with Switzerland waiting for the winner in the Round of 16 on July 6 in Dallas.
Colombia enters as the higher-ranked side after winning Group K. The South American team beat Uzbekistan 3-1, shut out DR Congo 1-0 and drew Portugal 0-0.
Colombia is playing in its seventh World Cup and is trying to reach the Round of 16 for the fourth time. Its best finish came in 2014, when it reached the quarter-final before a 2-1 loss to host Brazil.
Crystal Place defender Daniel Muñoz leads Colombia with two goals, while Bayern Munich forward Luis Díaz and Rosario Central midfielder Jáminton Campaz have one each. James Rodriguez, who scored six times at the 2014 World Cup, has started all three matches and put three shots on goal.
Ghana advanced as a third-place finisher in Group L. It beat Panama 1-0, drew England 0-0 and lost to Croatia 2-1 in the group-stage finale. This is Ghana’s fifth World Cup.