Cape Verde head coach Pedro Leitao Brito has expressed confidence ahead of his team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Argentina, stating the squad will play with courage and belief to secure a place in the Round of 16, according to ESPN.
Speaking ahead of the knockout encounter, Brito said his players are ready to face the challenge despite encountering a strong opponent. He emphasised that Cape Verde would adopt an ambitious and positive attitude rather than focusing on the opposition’s stature.
“There’s belief and conviction, and that’s very helpful,” Brito said, as quoted by ESPN.
The Cape Verde coach stated that the team planned to play fearless football while maintaining discipline throughout the match.
“We will play with courage. We will be bold and fight for the qualification. We want the players to enjoy the match, but to be focused and do everything to go to the next phase,” he added.
Brito affirmed the team’s full confidence in their abilities and quality to challenge their opponents, while acknowledging the difficulty of the task.
“Of course we believe. We believe in ourselves and our strengths, our players and our team. We know this will be a very difficult game, but we can hurt our opponent. We are brave and ambitious and we will play to win,” he said, as quoted by ESPN.
“We as a team have our own strategy, not only against Messi but the whole team,” he added. “They are the current world champions and one of the best teams in the tournament. We will play against the whole team. We know Messi is one of the best players in the world, but we play against the whole team.”
Cape Verde, the smallest nation to ever progress from the group stage at a World Cup, will face reigning champions Argentina in the round of 32 in Miami on Friday local time.
The winner will advance to the Round of 16 and move closer to lifting the FIFA World Cup trophy.