Day 23 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup wraps up the Round of 32, and Lionel Messi's Argentina takes center stage against Cinderella story Cape Verde.
The day opens in Dallas with Australia and Egypt, where Mohamed Salah's fitness is in question, and closes in Kansas City with Colombia and Ghana.
All three matches air on FOX, with every game streaming live and on demand on FOX One.
World Cup Schedule for Friday, July 3 Australia vs.
Egypt Australia advanced from Group D on four points, beating Turkiye 2-0 before losing to the United States and drawing Paraguay 0-0.
Egypt advanced from Group G on five points but enters banged up, with captain Mohamed Salah forced off with a hamstring strain in the group finale against Iran.
Head coach Hossam Hassan is optimistic that Salah will play, but Egypt’s offense will struggle to compete if Salah is not fit.
Neither nation has ever won a World Cup knockout match, so history is on the line for the winner.
Player to Watch It was a shocking decision shortly before the first game when Popovic benched veteran starter and now former captain Matthew Ryan in favor of the inexperienced Beach, who plays domestically for Melbourne City.
Beach has only five caps with Australia but put in a stunning performance in the win over Türkiye and then earned a second clean sheet against Paraguay.
Beach is likely going to need to be at his best again if Australia is to advance.
Cape Verde Argentina won Group J by multi-goal margins in all three games and has won its last 10 matches, with Lionel Messi tied for the tournament lead with six goals.
Cape Verde has been the World Cup's best underdog story, going unbeaten through three draws, including a scoreless result against Spain, to finish second in Group H.
Goalkeeper Vozinha has been outstanding, but the Blue Sharks face a massive step up in class against the defending champions.
Player to Watch It is an obvious pick to say Messi is the player to watch, but there is no other realistic pick.
Messi now has 19 World Cup goals and at age 39, he is the tournament’s co-leading scorer and arguably the best player yet again.
It is hard to see the Blue Sharks keeping him off the scoreboard when no one else can.
Ghana Colombia won Group K behind wins over Uzbekistan and DR Congo and a scoreless draw with Portugal.
Its attack, led by Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez, has been one of the tournament's most fluid.
Ghana advanced as one of the third-place finishers out of Group L behind a defense that coach Carlos Queiroz has quickly repaired, though the team managed just 15 shots across the group stage.
Colombia is heavily favored, but Ghana's physical, low-event approach could make this an ugly grind.
Player to Watch Colombia’s captain has not had much club success in recent years, but he continues to be an excellent player for his national team.
For Rodriguez, the test is for him not just to play well, but to also be a leader on the field for his team against an opponent that will aim to frustrate with a much slower and more physical approach.
Who Plays Today in the World Cup?
World Cup Scores Yesterday How to Watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup All World Cup matches air on FOX and FS1, with every game streaming live and on demand on FOX One.
Sources: Fox Sports
