After their historic World Cup debut run, Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks returned to a hero’s welcome parade in the nation’s capital of Praia.

Enjoy all the features, news, video analysis and color from around the 2026 World Cup as the round of 16 begins.

This is not the round of 32 matchup the defending World Cup champion expected, but it's the one it got as Argentina prepares to face off with Cape Verde on Friday in Miami. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said he is not concerned about the fact that all but two of the Albicelestes goals were scored by Lionel Messi,

Cape Verde may have exited the World Cup following a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Argentina, but the tiny African nation has left a permanent mark on the global stage. Despite the loss, their performance against the reigning world champions in Miami drew unprecedented praise from some of football's biggest legends like Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Cape Verde bows out of the World Cup, but it does so after writing one of the tournament’s most beautiful stories. In their first-ever appearance in the competition, the “Blue Sharks” got through the group unbeaten,

Cabo Verde's World Cup campaign holds lessons for leaders. It shows that a team's culture matters more than star power. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.