2026 FIFA WC: All eyes on Vozinha as countdown to Cape Verde Vs Argentina begins
All eyes are on Vozinha as Cape Verde readies to face defending World Cup Champion Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Knockout Round or Round of 32 Match Saturday July 04, 2026
2026 FIFA World Cup: All eyes are on Vozinha as Cape Verde readies to face defending World Cup Champion Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Knockout Round or Round of 32 Match Saturday July 04, 2026.
Argentina Vs Cape Verde will be held at Miami Stadium, and the enthusiasm among the football fans is not as high as it should be.
Some analysts are also of the view that the match will be a mere formality, predicting Argentina victory even before the kick-off.
Cape Verde – strongly backed by its President Jose Maria Neves, however, has another plan, a plan that could lead to the biggest upset in the football world cup history.
First Timer, and A Shocker
Before the 2026 Football World Cup, nobody knew about Cabo Verde. But, this small archipelagic country off the coast of West Africa has taken the footballing world by storm.
In its first-ever World Cup appearance, the African nation blanked world cup favorite Spain in a 0-0 draw, sending shock waves across the competition.
The small African nation, also known as Cabo Verde having a population of just 5,30,000, pulled off a 2-2 draw against Uruguay in its second World Cup clash, and the third against Saudi Arabia too was a defensive masterclass.
The result is Cabo Verde finished second in the Group H table, eliminating Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. The archipelagic country now faces Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32.
Vozinha, who?
In all the three football world cup matches that Cape Verde has played so far, the one player who stood out is Vozinha.
40-year-old Vozinha, who goes by the full name Josimar José Évora Dias, is Cape Verde’s goalkeeper. During Cape Verde's debut appearance in the 2026 World Cup, Vozinha delivered a standout, Man of the Match performance, against Spain, stopping 27 shots and securing a scoreless draw.
Vozinha was soon everywhere in the media – in print, television as well as digital and online. Following his heroics against Spain, Vozinha’s Instagram following skyrocketed from around 31,000 to over 17 million in a matter of weeks, briefly making him one of the most followed active goalkeepers on the popular social media platform.
The story of his 59-year-old mother, Ana Cândida Évora, who failed to watch her son play against Spain due to visa issue and high travel costs, was also widely shared.
As a number of knockout round matches in the 2026 football world cup so far ended in a draw, and hence decided by penalty shootouts, the questions being asked are what if Argentina vs Cape Verde meets a similar fate?
In that case, will Messi and his men will be able to break the WALL named Vozinha?
But, Vozinha is not alone
Vozinha is not alone in the Cape Verde squad capable of spoiling the Argentina’s dream to clinch second consecutive world cup trophy.
It has become clear after the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group Stage that DEFENCE is the USP of Cape Verde. However, the footballers from this small and little known nation know well that besides defence they need to score goals to keep their world cup journey moving.
And hence come Kevin Pina and Helio Varela into picture.
Kevin Pina, who currently plays for Russian club FC Krasnoda, grabbed the headlines after he scored Cape Verde's first-ever goal in a World Cup, giving his side an early lead against Uruguay. And, it was a long-range free-kick.
The next in line to watch if Cabo Verde wants to win its match against Argentina is Helio Varela. The 24-year-old, who plays club football for Maccabi Tel-Aviv, became a national hero by scoring the historic equalizer against Uruguay during their Group H match in Miami.
“Possible to Defeat Argentina”
Meanwhile, Cape Verde President Jose Maria Neves exudes confidence that his side can cause a major upset against the reigning champions in their round of 32 clash.
“I think Cape Verde can beat Argentina 1-0. We are playing to win”, he told BBC.
“When expectations are low regarding a team and if that team has the urge to win,” he said, “It is possible.”
“A small nation like Cape Verde should make an effort to always do that – to permanently surprise people. We have a 100 percent chance to win against Argentina”, he added.
On the other hand, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has warned his players not to underestimate Cape Verde.
“It’s pointless for me to sit here and say they’re not a tough opponent because that would be a lie,” Scaloni told reporters.
“Maybe for many it’s not like that, but I can assure you, they are a good team and will make things difficult for us”, he added.
[Zohair Mohammed Safwan Faizee is Staff Writer at ummid.com. With inputs from agencies]
Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.
Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic
