Azzedine Ounahi opened the scoring for Morocco in the 50th minute.
Some players and teams entered the record books at the national level, while others rewrote the tournament’s history.
Messi and Julian Alvarez produced a perfect link-up play after the goal fell short to Cape Verde’s strong defence.
The match was played at the Kansas City Stadium, U.S.
Egypt will face the winners of the round of 32 match between Argentina and Cape Verde later today.
Switzerland booked their place in the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup by beating Algeria with goals from Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye.
Spain have secured their third World Cup victory, beating Austria three-nil and taking their place in the round of 16 at the Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday evening.
Goncalo Ramos scored a late, late winner as Portugal came from behind to beat Croatia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The championship will serve as qualifiers for next year’s U17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Mr Merlo stressed that journalists must stand firm against infiltration in the era of content creation and artificial intelligence.
