Argentina’s 2026 World Cup round of 32 matchup against Cape Verde isn’t like David versus Goliath. It’s not even FCS Appalachian State looking to upset Michigan back in 2007.
As far as college football is concerned, the comparison is what would happen if we played a 48-team College Football Playoff where the third-best team in the WAC received a berth against an undefeated defending national champion with a Heisman Trophy winner returning at quarterback.
Lionel Messi, considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time, is the leading goalscorer in men’s FIFA World Cup history. The college football equivalent is 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart, who led USC to a perfect 13-0 season and a national championship. Imagine the 2005 Trojans facing Louisiana Tech, which finished third in the WAC with a 7-4 record and lost by 38 points the last time it played a top-10 opponent.
Matt Leinart led USC to a 13-0 record and a national championship in 2004. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
That’s the task facing Cape Verde.
Even Appalachian State’s famous 34-32 upset win over Michigan in 2007 falls short as a comparison because Cape Verde simply isn’t as good as Appalachian State turned out to be.
The Mountaineers entered the 2007 season fresh off back-to-back FCS national championships. They posted a 14-1 record the previous year, with their only loss coming against NC State. And 2007 was just as much of a banner year for Appalachian State, as it once again won the FCS national title and posted a 13-2 record.
Appalachian State took down Michigan in 2007 in one of the biggest upsets in college football history. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
Remember this: Cincinnati got its shot against Alabama in 2021 and found out what it meant to get rocked by a mean stepsister. Boise State went up against Penn State in 2024 and was pummeled back down the palace steps. Tulane and James Madison got their chance in 2025 and then Ole Miss and Oregon, respectively, smashed them like pumpkins.
It’s what happens when you extend the field. Teams that would never have gotten into the tournament in years past gladly become cannon fodder for the true powers among them. But, hey, they get to say they made the tournament, that they won their way into the knockout stage.
Good on you, Cape Verde: Worst case, your only loss in the World Cup would be against the defending champions when the matches matter most. Is that worth celebrating?
You’re damn right it is.