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“It has happened! The little boy from Rosario has just conquered the world! … It is finally complete! The crown has been placed upon his head.” – Peter Drury (commentator).
In many ways, Argentina’s World Cup win in 2022 was all about Lionel Messi and his legacy. It took him 16 years and five tries to finally win the tournament, but he finally dragged his country over the line in Qatar.
Messi was 35 at the last World Cup, but still scored seven goals, including two in that incredible final against France. Now, the question is whether the veteran has enough left in the tank to inspire La Albiceleste on the biggest stage again in what’s likely to be Messi’s last World Cup.
Argentina were among the outright favourites to win four years ago, though they haven’t been backed so readily this time around, with prices of around 8/1 with top UK bookmakers for World Cup indicating a lack of confidence in betting circles about their chances.
Let’s dig a little deeper into Argentina’s prospects for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
How did Argentina qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
Argentina topped the notoriously challenging CONMEBOL qualification region table, following an arduous 18-game campaign, collecting 38 points along the way, which was nine more than the next-best team in the section (Ecuador, 29).
Lionel Scaloni’s side were always in command, though not every fixture was smooth sailing, with Argentina eking out six 1-0 wins, while they also failed to win five of their final 11 qualifiers.
Their thumping Superclásico 4-1 win over chief rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires in March last year was undoubtedly the highlight of their campaign. Interestingly, Argentina purred in that triumph in Lionel Messi’s absence.
Messi was Argentina’s leading scorer during World Cup qualification however, with an unmatched eight goals. Indeed, the 38-year-old notched twice as many goals as La Albiceleste’s next-best performers, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez (four each).
Since booking their place at the 2026 World Cup, Argentina have embarked on a five-game winning streak in friendly fixtures, though the standard of opponents they’ve faced have been low (Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Angola, Mauritania and Zambia).
World Cup 2026: Argentina’s Group J opponents
Argentina’s World Cup group draw was favourable, to say the least, with the defending champions joined by Austria, Algeria and Jordan in Group J. Here’s a quick snapshot of what Argentina can expect in each of their three group fixtures:
Algeria: Argentina kick things off against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City on June 16th. The Algerians coasted to World Cup qualification, earning wins in eight of their ten CAF qualifiers. Coached by Vladimir Petković, Algeria have decent quality in several positions, with Man City’s Rayan Ait Nouri, Wolfsburg’s Mohamed Amoura and Bayer Leverkusen’s Ibrahaim Maza worth looking out for. Captain Riyad Mahrez remains the biggest draw however, even at the age of 35.
Austria: Ralf Rangnick’s Austria return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998 and they topped a UEFA qualification group ahead of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Romania to make the cut, winning six of their eight matches and losing only once while averaging 2.75 goals per game. A large chunk of Austria’s squad, including Xaver Schlager, Marcel Sabitzer, Christoph Baumgartner, Konrad Laimer and Michael Gregoritsch, play their club football in Germany. Expect them to play a high-energy, “Gegenpressing” style against Argentina at the A&T Stadium, Arlington on June 22nd.
Jordan: Tournament debutants Jordan will make history this summer, though their World Cup adventure is likely to be a short one. Most of the Arab nation’s squad play for clubs in the Middle East, making them short on elite-level experience. Jordan emerged from the AFC’s Third Round Group B to qualify, despite winning only four times in ten attempts. Argentina play their final Group J fixture against Jordan on June 27th at the AT&T Stadium.
World Cup 2026: Argentina’s Key Players
Lionel Messi – Messi will become the first player to play at six different World Cups this summer (before Cristiano Ronaldo matches that achievement shortly after) and the 38-year-old remains as influential as ever. Not nearly as dynamic as he used to be, Messi still has match-winning quality in that wand of a left foot and he’s been delivering goals and assists by the bucketload in the MLS for Inter Miami. Leo suffered a hamstring injury scare recently, though it’s hoped he will be fit enough to feature this summer.
Emiliano Martinez – One of the heroes of 2022, Martinez is a huge figure in the Argentina camp. He has few weaknesses as a goalkeeper from a technical standpoint, though the 33-year-old’s character sets him apart. His abrasive character and penchant for playing mind games can put opponents’ noses out of joint, though he is much loved in his homeland and with teammates for the same reasons.
Enzo Fernandez – Argentina’s midfield metronome, the 25-year-old kept his levels high while all those around him at Chelsea floundered this season. Fernandez is likely to change employers at club level this summer, so expect him to play to impress at the World Cup. The midfielder started 15 of his country’s 18 qualifiers for the tournament.
Julian Alvarez – The talented attacker scored four goals at the 2022 World Cup, including two in Argentina’s semi-final victory over Croatia, though he is capable of doing much more and 2026 could be the year in which Alvarez emerges fully from Messi’s shadow. The 26-year-old scored ten goals and laid on four assists in 15 starts in the Champions League for Atletico Madrid this term.
Argentina’s Strengths
Having already tread the path four years ago, this Argentina squad knows what it takes to win a World Cup, and they have a well of experience to draw from as they prepare to take on the challenge of defending their crown.
The Argentines are dogged out of possession, are hard-hitting in midfield and aggressive in defence, with no-nonsense characters like Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Nahuel Molina and Cristian Romero always battle-ready.
This La Albiceleste side isn’t easily breached. They conceded only ten times in 18 qualification fixtures, while keeping 11 clean sheets along the way, so expect Argentina to lean heavily on their solid defensive foundations this summer.
Further up the pitch, their attack is still built around the mercurial quality of Lionel Messi, with Lautaro Martínez and Julian Alvarez sharp enough in the final third to profit from their captain’s creativity.
Argentina’s Weaknesses
Modern football demands pace and running power to be successful, and this Argentina squad lacks a bit of both. Indeed, their starting XI is likely to be one of the oldest at this summer’s World Cup in terms of average age, and that could count against the South Americans.
Lionel Messi isn’t the only Argentine star that has pushed well into his 30s, with Nicolas Otamendi (38), Nicolas Tagliafico (33), Marcos Acuna (34), Rodrigo De Paul (32) and others all of a similar vintage.
Head Coach Lionel Scaloni has found it difficult to refresh and has instead kept faith with his tried and tested performers. As a result, Argentina could be found wanting against opponents with more youthful energy at their disposal.
Finding reliable partners in midfield for Enzo Fernandes could also be an issue. Alexis Mac Allister, who was a key cog in that area in 2022, is coming off the back of a poor year for Liverpool, while De Paul, who also starred in Qatar, has been playing comparatively low-level football in the MLS.
Can Argentina win the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Only two nations (Italy 1934, 1938, Brazil (1958, 1962) have won back-to-back World Cups, though Argentina’s chances of becoming the third country to achieve that feat feel slim this summer.
Four years ago in Qatar, Argentina’s run to glory and win over France in the final felt like the zenith of this particular generation of players.
With an ageing squad and a lack of pace in the middle and final thirds, the 2026 Argentine iteration could find it difficult to compete in the tournament’s latter rounds this summer.
Lionel Messi is also creeping up on 40 and Argentina still haven’t moved on from a heavy overreliance on their talisman.
Argentina should find topping Group J ahead of Austria, Algeria and Jordan a relatively straightforward task, though they could be at risk after that.
Pre World Cup odds show them listed at 3/1 to exit at the Round of 32, 10/3 to be eliminated at the Round of 16 and 4/1 to be dumped out at the quarter-final stage, any of which would make for decent value.
