Argentina World Cup 2026 preview: Players to watch, group matches and squad

Previous World Cup appearances: 18
Best performance: Winners (1978, 1986, 2022)
First appearance: 1930 (Uruguay)
Top extremity scorer: Lionel Messi (13)
Most appearances: Lionel Messi (26)
Player to watch: Lionel Messi
FIFA satellite ranking: 3

Defending champions Argentina are bidding to go the archetypal broadside since Brazil successful 1962 to triumph back-to-back titles.

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After Argentina bushed France successful an unthinkable last successful Qatar 2022, galore thought it would beryllium the crowning glory of Lionel Messi’s vocation and that helium would person retired from planetary shot by 2026.

But the Inter Miami player, who turns 39 during the tournament, plays connected and is aiming to repetition the feat successful North America, successful what truly volition beryllium his last World Cup.

However, winning this tourney appears to beryllium adjacent harder than lifting the past edition.

Not lone is Messi 4 years older and successful comparative decline; different members of the squad are besides ageing. And portion Argentina has galore promising young players, immoderate person been near astatine home.

How overmuch of a unit is Messi?

Assuming helium overcomes a comparatively insignificant hamstring injury, Messi volition pb Argentina into their opening crippled astatine the tourney against Algeria connected June 16.

While Messi is inactive banging successful the goals for Major League Soccer broadside Inter Miami, helium is acold from the unit helium was astatine the 2022 edition. His minutes during an aggravated and agelong tourney volition person to beryllium managed carefully.

Messi’s main publication mightiness beryllium much successful presumption of beingness and aura alternatively than goals, but helium remains a visionary subordinate and a large set-piece threat, adjacent arsenic helium has mislaid immoderate powerfulness and velocity arsenic helium pushes 40.

Messi volition astir apt discontinue from planetary shot aft the 2026 World Cup. He said a 3-0 triumph implicit Venezuela connected September 4 was his last competitory planetary fixture connected location soil.

“There are truthful galore emotions, I’ve experienced truthful galore things connected this field,” Messi said aft the crippled astatine Estadio Mas Monumental Stadium successful Buenos Aires.

“It’s ever a joyousness to play successful Argentina with our people. We’ve been enjoying lucifer aft lucifer for galore years. I’m precise happy; being capable to decorativeness successful this mode present is what I ever dreamed of.”

An experienced squad

Argentina’s squad features 17 of the 26 players who won the rubric successful Qatar.

Even if Messi is reduced to a supporting role, Argentina person the acquisition and endowment to triumph the World Cup. Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez remains a superb centre forward, and was Serie A’s apical scorer with 17 goals, portion imaginable onslaught spouse Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez has been fantastic successful bursts this season.

The midfield is stacked with Premier League and La Liga quality, from the finesse and creativity of Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, to the box-to-box dynamism and aggression of Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, and the versatile vigor of Atleti’s Rodrigo De Paul.

The defence is replete with tough-tackling, durable centre-backs specified arsenic Nicolas Otamendi and Christian Romero, though it tin beryllium a small unsmooth astatine times, and determination is simply a deficiency of top-quality full-backs.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has a phenomenal punishment shootout pedigree – ever a positive for the World Cup.

Martinez runs with the shot during a affable against Honduras connected June 6 [Tim Warner/Getty Images via AFP]

Emerging talent

More excitingly, a caller procreation of attacking endowment is starting to emerge.

Nico Paz is simply a highly touted attacking midfielder who has had a beardown play successful Serie A with Como, portion the versatile 21-year-old Valentin Barco was besides called up.

However, manager Lionel Scaloni amazed galore by leaving retired the 18-year-old Franco Mastantuono, who enactment successful immoderate awesome performances for Real Madrid this season. The left-footed attacking midfielder looks similar helium has the velocity and creativity to go a world-class player.

Chelsea’s electrical – if inconsistent – winger Alejandro Garnacho besides did not marque the squad.

Stability nether Scaloni

After a play of being led by hot-headed, impetuous managers, Argentina person recovered stableness and individuality nether the guidance of Scaloni – who was initially appointed connected an interim ground successful 2018.

He uses the players astatine his disposal good – adapting wherever necessary. He appears to person fantabulous man-management skills, and has built a coherent and tactically astute squad of winners – with 2 Copa Americas and a World Cup rubric to amusement for it.

Argentina topped their qualifying radical with a drawstring of stellar performances that included a 4-1 rout of Brazil.

If Scaloni leads Argentina to consecutive World Cups, helium would beryllium the archetypal manager to bash truthful since Italy’s Vittorio Pozzo successful 1934 and 1938.

How does their radical look?

On paper, Group J appears comparatively straightforward for Argentina. However, they person possibly been blameworthy of complacency astatine this signifier before, losing to Saudi Arabia astatine the radical signifier successful Qatar.

Algeria, ranked 28th successful the world, volition beryllium a tricky archetypal test, portion the 24th-ranked Austrians are nary pushovers either.

Jordan, playing successful their archetypal World Cup, are the underdogs of the group, and Scaloni whitethorn beryllium tempted to remainder immoderate cardinal oregon ageing players successful that last radical crippled if the archetypal 2 spell to plan.

Argentina’s radical signifier matches and kickoff times

⚽ June 16: Argentina vs Algeria (Kansas City, Missouri), 9pm ET (01:00 GMT connected June 17)

⚽ June 22: Argentina vs Austria (Arlington, Texas), 1pm ET (17:00 GMT)

⚽ June 27: Jordan vs Argentina (Arlington, Texas), 10pm ET (02:00 GMT connected June 28)

Al Jazeera’s prediction

Semifinals.

Their prime and guile are much than capable to get them each the way, with oregon without a afloat firing Messi. But the likes of Spain and France whitethorn present conscionable beryllium excessively good.

Full squad

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid)

Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon)

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg)

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Paz (Como), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras).

The FIFA World Cup begins connected June 11. You tin travel the enactment connected Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with each the latest news, lucifer build-up and unrecorded substance commentary, and support up to day with radical standings, real-time lucifer results and schedules.