Lionel Messi is an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner — which is awarded to the world’s best player annually — and after capping his career by guiding Argentina to a win at the 2022 World Cup, nobody would have blamed him if he called it quits then and there. Instead, he’s back to captain Argentina and his six goals during the group stage already made him the leading scorer in World Cup history. Argentina begin the knockout phase of the competition with a Round of 32 matchup against Cabo Verde on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET and it will be a home game of sorts for Messi, who plays in the MLS now for Inter Miami. The newest Argentina vs. Cabo Verde odds from FanDuel Sportsbook price Messi at -190 to continue his goal-scoring streak for Argentina, which is now at five matches.
Cabo Verde drew all three of their matches during pool play, including an inspired 0-0 draw against Spain. They’ll undoubtedly look to park the bus and extend the game against the defending world champions, but Messi’s comfortability breaking down opposing defenders could pose problems for the small island nation off the coast of Senegal. Messi is also +250 to score two goals or more and is now +145 to win the Golden Boot as the World Cup’s leading scorer. Before locking in your 2026 World Cup picks and other World Cup bets for Cabo Verde vs. Argentina on betting sites like FanDuel, be sure to check out top picks from soccer insider Brandt Sutton. Sutton is a former collegiate soccer player and has been SportsLine’s top soccer editor since 2017. He has followed soccer closely for much longer and factors in managerial tactics, projected lineups and past performances to make the most informed soccer betting decisions possible. Since 2025, Sutton has been profitable across multiple leagues, including the Premier League and Bundesliga. He’s also been profitable on his Champions League picks in 2026. Anyone wanting to follow his World Cup betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could see big returns.
Lionel Messi betting odds
Lionel Messi anytime goal scorer (-190)
Cabo Verde have been one of the stories of the tournament, after fighting to scoreless draws against Spain and Saudi Arabia as well as a 2-2 draw against Uruguay. As talented as Spain are, their contentedness with possession played right into Cabo Verde’s hands in their World Cup opener. Messi and Argentina are significantly more inspiring going forward. They’ll dominate possession just as Spain did, but expect Messi’s ability to subtly maneuver defenses to make the difference here.
Lionel Messi to score a hat trick — including extra time (+1000)
Messi opened his World Cup 2026 with a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria despite only playing 79 minutes and then he scored both of Argentina’s goals in a 2-0 win over Austria. He came on as a sub in a meaningless win over Jordan and found the back of the net again in 31 minutes of action. Cabo Verde have been a disciplined group defensively, but anything beyond getting out of the group is gravy and the potential for Messi to dominate against another inferior team is higher than this price might indicate.
Lionel Messi to record 4 or more shots on target (+230)
In the two matches where Messi was included in the starting XI, he took a total of 13 shots and put four of them on target in each of those games. Coming on as a sub against Jordan, he took two more shot and put one on net, scoring his sixth goal of the tournament. Against a structured side like Cabo Verde, Messi is Argentina’s best chance of breaking them down. He’s the best in the world at creating angles for himself in the crowd and this is a great price for a high-volume shooting effort.
Top Lionel Messi picks, player props for Argentina vs. Cabo Verde
- Lionel Messi anytime goal scorer (-190)
- Lionel Messi to record 4 or more shots on target (+230)
