Back in action: «Cuti» over injury, starts for Argentina v Cape Verde | OneFootball

The Argentina national team can breathe a sigh of relief ahead of the start of the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup. After setting off alarm bells in the win over Austria, where he had to be substituted in the 57th minute after a heavy blow to his knee, Cristian “Cuti” Romero has put the discomfort behind him and trained completely normally this Monday, keeping pace with his teammates under the coaching staff’s instructions.

The Tottenham center-back had been rested by Lionel Scaloni in the last group-stage match against Jordan to avoid more serious physical issues. After a week of rest and physiotherapy, the Córdoba native’s speedy recovery will allow him to complete four consecutive training sessions before the crucial round-of-32 clash, pointing to his imminent return to the starting central defense as long as no setbacks arise.

With “Cuti” medically cleared, the national team coach has the entire squad available for the first time in this World Cup, since the former Belgrano player was the only footballer dealing with physical limitations. In this way, La Albiceleste regains one of its most important defensive pillars for its first knockout match in the defense of the crown won in Qatar 2022.

When Argentina will play in the World Cup round of 32

The decisive match against the surprise Cape Verde national team will be played next Friday, July 3, starting at 7:00 p.m. (Argentina time). The venue will be Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, where the world champion will look to seal its place in the round of 16 with all its stars on the field.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.