Argentina and Brazil renew their rivalry when they meet at the Estadio Mas Monumental in 2026 World Cup qualifying on Wednesday 26th March at 12am (UK time). Argentina sit top of the Conmebol qualifying group after 13 rounds of fixtures, seven points ahead of Brazil. This game will be broadcast live in the UK on Premier Sports 1.
Argentina to Win (23/20 with Paddy Power)
Argentina sit top of the CONMEBOL rankings, with nine wins from 13, including a 1-0 victory over Uruguay last Friday. Last Summer’s Copa America winners have lost just one out of six qualifiers on home soil. Brazil have won just two of their six away qualifiers, and although this is expected to be a tight contest, Argentina can come out on top.
Alvarez to Score & Raphinha 1+ Shot on Target (6/1 with Paddy Power)
Alvarez has been in great form lately, scoring in two of his last three home games for Argentina, including goals against Chile and Bolivia. He’ll lead the charge for the hosts, buoyed by his impressive 23 goals in his first season with Atletico Madrid.
Raphinha, on the other hand, has netted four times in his last four matches for Brazil, although three of those goals came on home soil, which makes him a bit of a risk for a scorer pick here. Still, with six shots on target in his last five appearances for Brazil, he’ll likely test Argentina’s goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who is always a lively presence between the posts.
How both teams go into Argentina vs Brazil
We’re into the final third of Conmebol qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, and Argentina are exactly where they would have hoped to be at this stage. The defending world champions are top of the Conmebol group, some 13 points clear of the first non-qualifying spot. Six teams from Conmebol automatically qualify for the World Cup, with a seventh going through the inter-confederation play-offs. So it’d be hard for the likes of Argentina to fail to qualify. They’ve won eight of their 12 game so far, drawing once alongside three defeats.
Brazil are in a more precarious position, but the record world champions will fancy their chances of qualification. They got off to a rough start in qualifying, which included a four-game winless run. After 13 games, Brazil have won six matches and lost four, with three draws. They sit on 21 points, five points clear of the inter-confederation play-off spot and six ahead of eighth.
Argentina team news
Argentina will be without their all-time top scorer, Lionel Messi, who has been sidelined with an adductor injury sustained in his latest match for Inter Miami. The team is also missing Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and Roma’s Paulo Dybala due to injury, while Nico Gonzalez is suspended after receiving a red card late in their victory over Uruguay. Rodrigo De Paul wasn’t considered fully fit for the trip to Montevideo and was left out to rest, aiming to be ready for the upcoming match against Brazil. If De Paul proves he’s fit to start, Roma’s Leandro Paredes is expected to move to the bench for Tuesday’s home fixture.
Brazil team news
For Brazil, the squad is already without goalkeeper Ederson and forward Neymar due to injuries. Additionally, Liverpool’s Alisson Becker and Flamengo’s Gerson have withdrawn after sustaining injuries in Thursday’s win over Colombia. Bento is poised to make his third international appearance in goal, filling in for Alisson, while Andre may take Gerson’s spot in midfield. Defenders Leo Ortiz and midfielder Joelinton are likely to replace Gabriel Magalhaes and Bruno Guimaraes, both of whom are suspended following their second yellow cards of the qualifying campaign in Thursday’s match.
Argentina vs Brazil head-to-head
Argentina are unbeaten in their past four games against Brazil. This is the best such streak in the fixture for over 30 years, since Argentina went six games without loss against Brazil.
| Argentina vs Brazil H2H | |||||||
| Date | Score | Ground | |||||
| 21/11/23 | Brazil 0-1 Argentina | Maracana, Rio de Janeiro | |||||
| 16/11/21 | Argentina 0-0 Brazil | Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan | |||||
| 10/07/21 | Brazil 0-1 Argentina | Maracana, Rio de Janeiro | |||||
| 15/11/19 | Brazil 0-1 Argentina | King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh | |||||
| 02/07/19 | Brazil 2-0 Argentina | Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte | |||||