MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – If Lionel Messi and Argentina took one lesson from Friday’s wild win over Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32, it’s that repeating as back-to-back champions will be no walk in the park.

Their opponent reminded them of that, flirting with an all-time World Cup upset before La Albiceleste escaped with a 3-2 extra-time victory.

“The truth is we knew. We knew it was going to be a very tough game,” Messi told reporters of Cape Verde’s Cinderella run in their debut tournament appearance, which included stunning Group Stage draws against two other World Cup-winning sides.

”There’s a reason this team didn’t lose against Spain and Uruguay.”

Toughest test to date

And yet, Cape Verde did lose to Argentina, ending a historic World Cup for the tiny African archipelago nation of approximately 530,000 people that captivated a global audience. 

The Blue Sharks went out with their boots on, however, rallying twice and forcing overtime before a dramatic 111th-minute own goal finally tilted the balance in La Albiceleste’s favor.

“This is kill or be killed, and nobody’s going to give you anything,” said Messi, who opened the scoring in the 29th minute and whipped in the corner kick that led to Argentina’s game-winner, continuing a historic tournament for Inter Miami CF’s superstar No. 10.

“While we tend to look down on other national teams by name, we knew this wasn’t going to be easy by any means,” he added. “This World Cup especially – everything is very even; every game is going to be extremely difficult.”

Egypt await

Things could effectively get more difficult for Argentina in their next match: A Round of 16 date with legendary former Liverpool FC forward Mo Salah and Egypt at Atlanta Stadium on Tuesday (12 pm ET | FOX).

The Pharaohs are coming off an exhausting win of their own in the Round of 32, overcoming Australia in a penalty-kick shootout to earn their first-ever World Cup knockout-stage win.  

For Messi, the key to success will be avoiding the same mistakes that allowed Cape Verde to nearly end Argentina's dreams of a repeat World Cup title. 

“The important thing now is to rest, think ahead for what’s coming and try to take positives from today’s game,” Messi said.

“Beyond advancing, we did good things. We also have to correct the bad things, of which there were a lot today.”

All-in for Argentina

“Bad things” aside, Messi & Co. are fully committed to the cause of becoming the third-ever back-to-back World Cup champions, and the first since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

“Everybody’s tired; they’ve given their all. This is Argentina,” head coach Lionel Scaloni said in a post-match interview with Telemundo. “For those who don’t understand, it’s difficult. We Argentineans will understand. Nothing is easy.” 

Added second-half substitute Leandro Paredes: “When you can’t play well or show the best version of yourself, winning is always important. 

“… To wear this jersey is a dream. I think I said it yesterday: we play every ball like it’s our last and we play each game like it’s our last, because playing for this national team and wearing this jersey is a privilege.” 

Messi, who’s worn the Argentina jersey a record 203 times, also believes in his country's ability to make history this summer.

“This team has shown for a while now, and I’ll say it again, that it competes,” Messi said.

“We’re going to compete until the end.”