The Argentine national team faces a highly anticipated match against Cape Verde on Friday evening GMT, in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, with a chance to strengthen its position among the teams with the most appearances in the knockout stages.

If the Albiceleste qualify, they would increase their tally to 11 appearances in the Round of 16 in World Cup history, alone in second place on the list of teams with the most appearances in that round, behind leaders Brazil with 13 appearances, according to Argentine network TyC Sports.

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The Argentine national team currently has 10 appearances in the Round of 16, the same number that Spain reached after qualifying by beating Austria (3-0), while Germany also stopped at 10 appearances, after exiting the current edition in the Round of 32 against Paraguay.

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Argentina has only missed the Round of 16 once, in the 2002 edition in South Korea and Japan, when they exited the tournament in the group stage.

It is worth noting that the Round of 16 system, in its current form, was not applied in editions prior to the 1986 World Cup.

The winner of Argentina vs Cape Verde will play against the qualifier from the Egypt vs Australia match, scheduled later on Friday.