The Round of 32 is nearly complete, with the final three matches taking place Friday at the FIFA World Cup, highlighted by Argentine soccer great Lionel Messi taking to the pitch.
Here’s a close look at what to expect.
Australia vs. Egypt at Dallas Stadium
2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on TSN1/4, TSN.ca and TSN App
Friday’s action kicks off with what should be an evenly contested match between No. 26 Egypt and No. 28 Australia.
A win here would likely set up a clash against defending champion Argentina, who are heavily favoured against Cabo Verde, in the Round of 16 in Atlanta on July 7.
The Aussies finished second behind the Americans in Group D action, earning a 2-0 win over Türkiye, a 2-0 loss to the United States and a scoreless draw against Paraguay.
Australia, competing in their sixth straight World Cup, look to return to the Round of 16 for the second straight tournament after being eliminated by Argentina in the opening knockout stage four years ago in Qatar.
They’ve only found the back of the net twice over three games, thanks to Connor Matcalfe and Nestory Irankunda.
Goalkeeper Patrick Beach, 22, has started every game in the group stage ahead of veteran captain Mathew Ryan, 34.
Beach, who plays his club soccer for Melbourne City, had just one appearance for the national team entering this World Cup and appears to be in line to play against Egypt after allowing just two goals in the group stage.
Egypt, playing in their fourth World Cup, is looking to reach the Round of 16 for the first time since their debut at the tournament way back in 1934.
Led by Mohamed Salah, Egypt began their World Cup journey with a 1-1 draw against Belgium followed by a 3-1 victory over New Zealand and a 1-1 draw against Iran, which secured a second-place finish in Group G.
Egypt has gotten goals from five different players, including the 34-year-old Salah, who is now two goals away from tying Hossam Hassan, the nation’s all-time leading scorer, with 69.
With both sides so close together in the FIFA Rankings, this Round of 32 matchup has the strong possibility of going right down to the wire in Dallas.
Argentina vs. Cabo Verde at Miami Stadium
6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on TSN1/4/5, TSN.ca and TSN App
Paraguay was able to shock the world with a victory over mighty Germany on penalties in their Round of 32 matchup earlier this week in the upset of the tournament so far.
Don’t expect that to happen Friday evening when 64th ranked Cabo Verde takes on football legend Lionel Messi and No. 1 Argentina, the defending World Cup champions.
Messi, who’ll be playing in the city of his club team Inter Miami in this clash, is competing in his record-tying sixth FIFA World Cup and still looks like the best player on the pitch.
The 39-year-old is tied with French star Kylian Mbappé, who has played one more game than Messi, in the Golden Boot race with six goals.
Messi recorded a hat trick in Argentina’s opening 3-0 win over Algeria before scoring two more in a 2-0 victory over Austria. As a sub, Messi found the back of the net in his side’s 3-1 win over Jordan in the Group J finale.
Messi now has 123 goals for Argentina, including 19 at the World Cup, one ahead of Mbappe for the most in history.
All-time Leading Scorers at FIFA World Cup
| Player (Country) | World Cup Goals (World Cup Games) |
|---|---|
| Lionel Messi (Argentina) | 19 (29) |
| Kylian Mbappe (France) | 18 (18) |
| Miroslav Klose (Germany) | 16 (24) |
| Ronaldo (Brazil) | 15 (19) |
| Gerd Muller (Germany) | 14 (13) |
| Just Fontaine (France) | 13 (6) |
| Harry Kane (England) | 13 (15) |
| Pele (Brazil) | 12 (14) |
| Jurgen Klinsmann (West Germany/Germany) | 11 (17) |
| Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) | 11 (5) |
BOLD = Active Player
Argentina’s only goal is to defend their World Cup title from Qatar, which would be the South American nation’s fourth time winning the tournament.
Cabo Verde, a small island nation off the coast of West Africa, is thrilled to be in the knockout stage as this is their first World Cup appearance.
Despite only two goals and no wins, Cabo Verde finished second behind Spain in Group H thanks to three draws.
The played a scoreless game against European heavyweight Spain in their opener before drawing Uruguay 2-2 and Saudi Arabia, 0-0.
Earning single points against No. 3 Spain and No. 19 Uruguay were both incredible results for the Blue Sharks and should give them hope against Argentina.
Kevin Pina and Hélio Varela have the goals while 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha has been Cabo Verde’s national hero.
Vozinha’s Instagram following sits at 17.5 million after staring the tournament at just 50,000.
There has been controversy for Cabo Verde, however, as captain Ryan Mendes, the nation’s all-time leading scorer, is reportedly under investigation by New Zealand police regarding allegations of rape earlier this year.
The winner of this matchup takes on the winner between Australia and Egypt in the Round of 16.
Colombia vs. Ghana at Kansas City Stadium
9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT on TSN1/4/5, TSN.ca and TSN App
The final Round of 32 clash pits No. 11 Colombia against No. 65 Ghana in Kansas City.
The winner moves on to play Switzerland in the Round of 16 on July 6 in Dallas.
As the higher-ranked team, Colombia enters as the favourites following a strong first-place finish in Group K.
Colombia handled Uzbekistan 3-1 in their opener before shutting out DR Congo 1-0 and drawing Portugal, 0-0.
The South American squad is playing in their seventh World Cup, looking to reach the Round of 16 for the fourth time. Colombia’s best finish came in 2014 when they made it to the quarter-final before being eliminated by host Brazil, 2-1.
Crystal Place defender Daniel Muñoz leads the squad with two goals as Bayern Munich forward Luis Díaz and Rosario Central midfielder Jáminton Campaz have each contributed one goal.
National hero James Rodriguez, who scored six times at the 2014 World Cup, has started all three games for Colombia and recorded three shots on goal.
Ghana snuck into the knockout stage as a third-place finisher in Group L.
They defeated Panama 1-0 in their opening game before drawing England 0-0 and falling to Croatia 2-1 in the group-stage finale.
This is Ghana’s fifth World Cup appearance as they look to make the Round of 16 for the third time. They made the quarters during a memorable run in 2010, falling to Uruguay on penalties.
The Black Stars will likely need to find their scoring touch against Colombia as Caleb Yirenkyi and Derrick Luckassen are the only ones to put the ball past the opposing keeper.
Midfielder Thomas Partey has played in Ghana’s last two games after he missed their opener in Toronto on June 17. Partey was denied entry into Canada due to a series of rape charges in England.
