Argentina to Face Cape Verde in Round of 32 on July 3

Argentina will meet Cape Verde in the round of 32 on July 3. The pairing emerged after group stage results clarified the bracket.

Uruguay ended group play with two points and did not advance. Paraguay secured a spot in the knockout stage through its final group matches.

Verde enters the match with a squad valuation listed at negative $63.2 million. Lionel Messi receives between $70 million and $80 million per year to play for Inter Miami, according to comments made by co-owner Jorge Mas to Bloomberg in March. The draw gives Argentina a more favorable matchup than the Uruguay or Spain pairings that had been viewed as more likely earlier in the tournament.