Vozinha News

Who Will Lionel Messi And Argentina Play In The World Cup Round Of 32?

Lionel Messi and Argentina now know who they will face in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32. Argentina clinched the top spot in Group J with two wins in its first two matches. While it has yet to play its final group-stage match, its opponent has now been set following Friday's round of group-stage finales. Here is everything you need to know about Argentina's round of 32 opponent: As the runner-up in Group H, Cape Verde, which is making its World Cup debut in 2026, will play reigning champions Argentina in the round of 32. Cape Verde finished Group H with three points after securing three points in three matches, including a 2-2 draw against Uruguay in its second group stage match. Cape Verde had +165 odds to advance to the round of 32 entering the tournament. Argentina and Cape Verde will go head-to-head in the round of 32 on July 3 at Miami Stadium. This will mark Lionel Messi's fourth time playing at Miami Stadium, with his most notable appearance coming in the 2024 Copa América final. Messi plays for Inter Miami CF at the club level, but the MLS side plays all of its home matches at Nu Stadium in Miami. On paper, Cape Verde's statistical leader is Ryan Mendes, the team's all-time leader in goals and appearances, but veteran goalkeeper Vozinha has become an overnight sensation after recording a seven-save clean sheet against Spain in Cape Verde's World Cup opener.

2026-06-27

Spaceship stadiums and Ronaldo-mania: Guardian writers’ first impressions of the World Cup

It was quite a contrast touching down in sleepy Kansas City hours after having witnessed the bedlam on the streets of New York when the Knicks won the NBA Finals and Brazil drew with Morocco. But this is a World Cup full of contrasts, from Fifa’s never-ending quest to make a quick buck ($5 a pop for a bottle of water in the media centre) to the warmth shown by locals I’ve encountered in the Big Apple, Kansas City and Dallas. Then there’s the football. It’s been hard to keep up with the volume of matches, but the opening round served up some classics, with DR Congo’s draw against Portugal on the same day as England beat Croatia capping a thrilling first week of action. Let’s hope it continues. Ed Aarons It took nearly the full opening round, but a US scene that is usually focused on other sports has fully turned its eyes to socc– sorry, I mean football, forgot to code-switch. Fitting, actually, because at times this state of affairs has been awkward, like when the standard “loud men yelling” sports talk shows are forced to reckon with international football being the No 1 talking point and employing nobody that knows the scene. But these are growing pains. The sport is on at bars and delis, it is being discussed at school pickups and on the rides home. It’s beautiful and exactly what so many of us here in the States have been fighting for. Alexander Abnos In Texas, I have found a state, and perhaps country, where the World Cup means everything and absolutely nothing. I have seen Mexico, Brazil and Colombia followers pack out the bars in Houston’s East Downtown district; I have sat in a stadium in Dallas with more “Ronaldo 7” shirt wearers with local accents than anyone could possibly count. But I have also visited a 5,000-strong (plus elephant) Republican party convention where the tournament had simply not registered, spoken to numerous Uber drivers blissfully unaware of how a soccer competition works and travelled to a town 100 miles from the big city where the World Cup may as well be being contested on another planet. This country is big enough to host a vibrant and fulfilling World Cup; it is simultaneously capable of hosting one that passes entirely unnoticed. Nick Ames A few days in eternally gridlocked Los Angeles serve as a reminder of the sheer scale of this World Cup. The city spans 44 miles from north to south, eclipsing the distance between the two stadiums furthest apart in Qatar four years ago. Talking of grounds, it is impossible not be impressed by the huge SoFi/Los Angeles Stadium, a spaceship-like arena fit with a teardrop-shaped 1m sq ft canopy designed by American architects. The co-hosts have not hit every note in recent weeks and months, but they sure know how to build best-in-class stadiums. Ben Fisher Donald Trump’s absence from the US’s opening 4-1 win over Paraguay in LA last week was a surprise, if a pleasant one for Fifa, which feared the inevitable circus surrounding the president would overshadow the launch of the tournament in the US. Trump has kept a low profile throughout the World Cup and it’s been indicated that the catcalls and boos he received when attending game three of the NBA Finals in New York last week may have dissuaded him from attending. If so, then Knicks fans may have done Fifa a favour, although Trump is sure to attend the final in New Jersey, where he is expected to hand over the trophy. Matt Hughes This ought not to have come as any great surprise and yet the sheer scale of the US has left me open-mouthed. It has mainly been the freeways – miles and miles of them. Also, how the downtown districts of some of the cities I have visited – Tampa, Orlando and Dallas – are a lot of concrete and not a lot of character. There isn’t really any popping out for things on foot. On the subject of size, the mega screen at the visual overload that is the stadium in Dallas, just wow. An immersive cinematic experience as an elite-level football match plays out below. Craziest moment? The tornado warning in Kansas City last Saturday night, which was accompanied by a high-pitched tone from speakers on the streets. For about an hour. Yes, we are going indoors. David Hytner My first impression of the World Cup? That all you lot showing off because you were at the Azteca can do one. Not that I’m jealous or anything. I’ve been in Atlanta (and Chattanooga). There’s free ice-cream with sprinkles, cookies and/or (let’s face it, and) M&Ms in the press area at the stadium in Atlanta. After South Africa drew with Czechia, their manager, Hugo Broos, complained that this isn’t a football stadium. It seemed to me he had chosen the wrong target: it is. It is also pretty brilliant: a downtown ground you can walk to, not some horrible out-of-town place on a giant, boiling car park and that makes the atmosphere so much better. Oh, and people are lovely. Sid Lowe Strikers, can’t get enough of these strikers. The first game that got me excited, both for the match and the tournament, was Sweden’s demolition of Tunisia, and the Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres combo. There was just something timeless about it, a new partnership coming together and hitting the ground running on the biggest stage. Two days later and we had that incredible sequence – first Kylian Mbappé, then Erling Haaland, then Lionel Messi – then Harry Kane the following day. After a run of tournaments where the focus was on creative forwards, the big goalgetters are turning up here (sorry, Cristiano) and I love it. Paul MacInnes The standard of international football has never been higher. Whisper it, but this almost provides justification for expanding the World Cup to its present size. Curaçao caught Germany on the wrong day – just as Scotland did at the last Euros – but otherwise, even supposed minnows are well coached, well prepared and physically impressive. Cape Verde are the obvious example of this. Haiti were hugely competitive against Scotland while Norway’s win over Iraq was closer than the score suggested. Saudi Arabia looked strong too. The level of elite teams against the best World Cup sides of old is open to debate, but the bar has undeniably been raised among the lowest ranked sides in the tournament. No game is a gimme. Ewan Murray In New York/New Jersey and Philadelphia, where I have covered games, there is no ambience outside the stadiums indicating there is a World Cup going on. On the day South Africa were playing Czechia in Atlanta, what mattered to New Yorkers was the ticker-tape parade of the Knicks after winning their first NBA title in 53 years. New York is truly Knicks country. But the fact that Ecuador, a relatively small country of 18 million people, had more than 60,000 supporters at Philadelphia Stadium for their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Côte d’Ivoire surprised me. It was as if they were playing at home. Osasu Obayiuwana Following this World Cup has been like cramming a vast multi-layered hyper-textured glisteningly mayonnaised super-sandwich into your mouth with one hand, while a troupe of high speed sous chefs keep adding more and more super-sandwich to the end of it so you never reach or even see the end or imagine it can even exist. We knew it would be relentless in terms of travel and heat, which it turns out are factors in a very hot, very big country. But it has been relentless in other ways too, mainly in the constant and very American assault on the senses. The number of games has been dizzying and utterly moreish. The stadiums have been very good, SoFi the best of its type in the world. The big surprise of America at this World Cup is a good surprise, although less so if you know the place well. Lots of people here also feel enraged by Donald Trump, or want to apologise for the way he acts in office. For all its flaws America remains the most thrillingly omni-cultured nation of immigrants on earth. Even a bloated and compromised Fifa World Cup night just end up showing the best of this place. Barney Ronay It turns out there were more than 32 worthy qualifiers for each World Cup, though 48 may narrowly be stretching it. Unsurprising how much more enjoyable the idea of the World Cup is when it is almost exclusively a soccer tournament and not being held in capitalistic purgatory. I still can’t work out how to salvage the flow of games and credibility of the matches vis-a-vis past World Cups that did not heave a three-minute pause in each half. Seems like every time a match is hitting its stride, there is a whetting of whistles. Should not become a four-quarter sport. Jeff Rueter The expanded format has sucked all jeopardy from the opening group games, given third place in eight of the 12 groups goes through to the knockout rounds. Additionally, the uncertainty around the progression threshold – will it be four points and decent goal difference or will three points be enough? – has disempowered the grand tradition of World Cup prognostication. Is that a fair sacrifice to make, if it means fewer dead rubbers at the end of the group stage? Ask again in a week. Jack Snape The mid-west charm in Kansas City is a reminder that the US is more than what you see on the news. The extreme weather’s tough, though. Last Saturday brought heat and high levels of humidity in the afternoon, then tornado warnings in the evening. It’s quite hard not to eat meat here. It feels like chicken is the vegetarian option. Are people interested in the football? It’s mixed. The USMNT’s opening game was on in our hotel lobby. A group of Americans were watching baseball on another TV and occasionally came over to check the score. But then I’ve just met a Chelsea fan during the Mexico v South Korea game. He knew his football. Jacob Steinberg The football has been great, far more open than I had feared (although we will see if that endures into the knockout stages), with big performances from big players and big teams, but also enough surprises to offer intrigue. Off the pitch, it has been chaotic. It feels at times as if Mexico has been slightly overwhelmed by how big the World Cup is, having to impose work-from-home mandates to ease traffic on matchdays while the wifi and media facilities at the stadiums have been shambolic. Food is great, coffee mediocre. Jet lag is a right bastard and the weather is significantly wetter than I had been anticipating. Jonathan Wilson

2026-06-20

Spaceship stadiums and Ronaldo-mania: Guardian writers’ first impressions of the World Cup

It was quite a contrast touching down in sleepy Kansas City hours after having witnessed the bedlam on the streets of New York when the Knicks won the NBA Finals and Brazil drew with Morocco. But this is a World Cup full of contrasts, from Fifa’s never-ending quest to make a quick buck ($5 a pop for a bottle of water in the media centre) to the warmth shown by locals I’ve encountered in the Big Apple, Kansas City and Dallas. Then there’s the football. It’s been hard to keep up with the volume of matches, but the opening round served up some classics, with DR Congo’s draw against Portugal on the same day as England beat Croatia capping a thrilling first week of action. Let’s hope it continues. Ed Aarons It took nearly the full opening round, but a US scene that is usually focused on other sports has fully turned its eyes to socc– sorry, I mean football, forgot to code-switch. Fitting, actually, because at times this state of affairs has been awkward, like when the standard “loud men yelling” sports talk shows are forced to reckon with international football being the No 1 talking point and employing nobody that knows the scene. But these are growing pains. The sport is on at bars and delis, it is being discussed at school pickups and on the rides home. It’s beautiful and exactly what so many of us here in the States have been fighting for. Alexander Abnos In Texas, I have found a state, and perhaps country, where the World Cup means everything and absolutely nothing. I have seen Mexico, Brazil and Colombia followers pack out the bars in Houston’s East Downtown district; I have sat in a stadium in Dallas with more “Ronaldo 7” shirt wearers with local accents than anyone could possibly count. But I have also visited a 5,000-strong (plus elephant) Republican party convention where the tournament had simply not registered, spoken to numerous Uber drivers blissfully unaware of how a soccer competition works and travelled to a town 100 miles from the big city where the World Cup may as well be being contested on another planet. This country is big enough to host a vibrant and fulfilling World Cup; it is simultaneously capable of hosting one that passes entirely unnoticed. Nick Ames A few days in eternally gridlocked Los Angeles serve as a reminder of the sheer scale of this World Cup. The city spans 44 miles from north to south, eclipsing the distance between the two stadiums furthest apart in Qatar four years ago. Talking of grounds, it is impossible not be impressed by the huge SoFi/Los Angeles Stadium, a spaceship-like arena fit with a teardrop-shaped 1m sq ft canopy designed by American architects. The co-hosts have not hit every note in recent weeks and months, but they sure know how to build best-in-class stadiums. Ben Fisher Donald Trump’s absence from the US’s opening 4-1 win over Paraguay in LA last week was a surprise, if a pleasant one for Fifa, which feared the inevitable circus surrounding the president would overshadow the launch of the tournament in the US. Trump has kept a low profile throughout the World Cup and it’s been indicated that the catcalls and boos he received when attending game three of the NBA Finals in New York last week may have dissuaded him from attending. If so, then Knicks fans may have done Fifa a favour, although Trump is sure to attend the final in New Jersey, where he is expected to hand over the trophy. Matt Hughes This ought not to have come as any great surprise and yet the sheer scale of the US has left me open-mouthed. It has mainly been the freeways – miles and miles of them. Also, how the downtown districts of some of the cities I have visited – Tampa, Orlando and Dallas – are a lot of concrete and not a lot of character. There isn’t really any popping out for things on foot. On the subject of size, the mega screen at the visual overload that is the stadium in Dallas, just wow. An immersive cinematic experience as an elite-level football match plays out below. Craziest moment? The tornado warning in Kansas City last Saturday night, which was accompanied by a high-pitched tone from speakers on the streets. For about an hour. Yes, we are going indoors. David Hytner My first impression of the World Cup? That all you lot showing off because you were at the Azteca can do one. Not that I’m jealous or anything. I’ve been in Atlanta (and Chattanooga). There’s free ice-cream with sprinkles, cookies and/or (let’s face it, and) M&Ms in the press area at the stadium in Atlanta. After South Africa drew with Czechia, their manager, Hugo Broos, complained that this isn’t a football stadium. It seemed to me he had chosen the wrong target: it is. It is also pretty brilliant: a downtown ground you can walk to, not some horrible out-of-town place on a giant, boiling car park and that makes the atmosphere so much better. Oh, and people are lovely. Sid Lowe Strikers, can’t get enough of these strikers. The first game that got me excited, both for the match and the tournament, was Sweden’s demolition of Tunisia, and the Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres combo. There was just something timeless about it, a new partnership coming together and hitting the ground running on the biggest stage. Two days later and we had that incredible sequence – first Kylian Mbappé, then Erling Haaland, then Lionel Messi – then Harry Kane the following day. After a run of tournaments where the focus was on creative forwards, the big goalgetters are turning up here (sorry, Cristiano) and I love it. Paul MacInnes The standard of international football has never been higher. Whisper it, but this almost provides justification for expanding the World Cup to its present size. Curaçao caught Germany on the wrong day – just as Scotland did at the last Euros – but otherwise, even supposed minnows are well coached, well prepared and physically impressive. Cape Verde are the obvious example of this. Haiti were hugely competitive against Scotland while Norway’s win over Iraq was closer than the score suggested. Saudi Arabia looked strong too. The level of elite teams against the best World Cup sides of old is open to debate, but the bar has undeniably been raised among the lowest ranked sides in the tournament. No game is a gimme. Ewan Murray In New York/New Jersey and Philadelphia, where I have covered games, there is no ambience outside the stadiums indicating there is a World Cup going on. On the day South Africa were playing Czechia in Atlanta, what mattered to New Yorkers was the ticker-tape parade of the Knicks after winning their first NBA title in 53 years. New York is truly Knicks country. But the fact that Ecuador, a relatively small country of 18 million people, had more than 60,000 supporters at Philadelphia Stadium for their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Côte d’Ivoire surprised me. It was as if they were playing at home. Osasu Obayiuwana Following this World Cup has been like cramming a vast multi-layered hyper-textured glisteningly mayonnaised super-sandwich into your mouth with one hand, while a troupe of high speed sous chefs keep adding more and more super-sandwich to the end of it so you never reach or even see the end or imagine it can even exist. We knew it would be relentless in terms of travel and heat, which it turns out are factors in a very hot, very big country. But it has been relentless in other ways too, mainly in the constant and very American assault on the senses. The number of games has been dizzying and utterly moreish. The stadiums have been very good, SoFi the best of its type in the world. The big surprise of America at this World Cup is a good surprise, although less so if you know the place well. Lots of people here also feel enraged by Donald Trump, or want to apologise for the way he acts in office. For all its flaws America remains the most thrillingly omni-cultured nation of immigrants on earth. Even a bloated and compromised Fifa World Cup might just end up showing the best of this place. Barney Ronay It turns out there were more than 32 worthy qualifiers for each World Cup, though 48 may narrowly be stretching it. Unsurprising how much more enjoyable the idea of the World Cup is when it is almost exclusively a soccer tournament and not being held in capitalistic purgatory. I still can’t work out how to salvage the flow of games and credibility of the matches vis-a-vis past World Cups that did not heave a three-minute pause in each half. Seems like every time a match is hitting its stride, there is a whetting of whistles. Should not become a four-quarter sport. Jeff Rueter The expanded format has sucked all jeopardy from the opening group games, given third place in eight of the 12 groups goes through to the knockout rounds. Additionally, the uncertainty around the progression threshold – will it be four points and decent goal difference or will three points be enough? – has disempowered the grand tradition of World Cup prognostication. Is that a fair sacrifice to make, if it means fewer dead rubbers at the end of the group stage? Ask again in a week. Jack Snape The mid-west charm in Kansas City is a reminder that the US is more than what you see on the news. The extreme weather’s tough, though. Last Saturday brought heat and high levels of humidity in the afternoon, then tornado warnings in the evening. It’s quite hard not to eat meat here. It feels like chicken is the vegetarian option. Are people interested in the football? It’s mixed. The USMNT’s opening game was on in our hotel lobby. A group of Americans were watching baseball on another TV and occasionally came over to check the score. But then I’ve just met a Chelsea fan during the Mexico v South Korea game. He knew his football. Jacob Steinberg The football has been great, far more open than I had feared (although we will see if that endures into the knockout stages), with big performances from big players and big teams, but also enough surprises to offer intrigue. Off the pitch, it has been chaotic. It feels at times as if Mexico has been slightly overwhelmed by how big the World Cup is, having to impose work-from-home mandates to ease traffic on matchdays while the wifi and media facilities at the stadiums have been shambolic. Food is great, coffee mediocre. Jet lag is a right bastard and the weather is significantly wetter than I had been anticipating. Jonathan Wilson

2026-06-20

Who is Vozinha? The Cabo Verde Goalkeeper Making World Cup History

If you are curious about how the Cabo Verde national team managed to hold the star-studded Spanish squad to a stunning stalemate in Atlanta, you only need to look at one man: their goalkeeper. Before Monday’s Group H clash, Josimar José Évora Dias—affectionately known to the football world as Vozinha—was a 40-year-old journeyman keeper whose contract at Portuguese second-division side Chaves was just two weeks away from expiring. He walked onto the pitch with a modest transfer valuation of €50,000 and a quiet Instagram following of around 50,000. By the time the final whistle blew on Cabo Verde’s jaw-dropping 0–0 draw against heavyweight Spain, he wasn’t just a national hero. He was a global sensation. Spain arrived at the tournament boasting a terrifying attack featuring Euro 2024 winners, Champions League victors, and the electric Lamine Yamal coming off the bench. Statistically, the Spaniards dominated, holding 74% of the ball and peppering the African side’s box. But analytics don’t account for pure heart. Vozinha put on an absolute masterclass between the sticks, making seven crucial saves to keep a clean sheet against a side that racked up an expected goals (xG) rating of 2.29. His defining moment came just before half-time: after Ferran Torres rattled the crossbar, Mikel Oyarzabal’s follow-up header looked completely unstoppable. Vozinha somehow stretched his veteran frame to tip the ball over the bar, sparking a roar from the Atlanta crowd that set the tone for the rest of the match. With that display, he officially became the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on his FIFA World Cup debut. Naturally, he walked away clutching the official Man of the Match trophy. While Vozinha was busy frustrating Spain on the pitch, a completely different kind of magic was happening across social media. During the broadcast, the famous Brazilian streaming network CazéTV urged its millions of viewers to go and support the legendary shot-stopper. The internet took that directive and ran with it. Fans worldwide fell in love with his grit, and his Instagram account experienced one of the fastest growth spikes in sporting history. In less than 24 hours, his following exploded from 50,000 to a staggering 5.8 million followers. To put that into context, he now has more digital followers than the entire population of Cabo Verde ten times over! When the match concluded, the tough-as-nails keeper dropped to his knees and burst into tears as his teammates mobbed him. Speaking to reporters after the game, an emotional Vozinha revealed the heartbreaking reason behind his tears. I cried after the game because I was raised by my grandparents during my childhood, and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago. My mother was also unable to attend due to a visa issue and the costs associated with it. We could not arrange this in time. Though his family wasn’t physically in the stands to see him lift his Man of the Match award, the entire world was watching. From playing street football against much older boys on the island of São Vicente to silencing the best attackers in Europe, Vozinha’s story embodies exactly why we love the World Cup. He wanted to bring pride to his country, instead, he captured the imagination of the entire planet.

2026-06-16