Current world champions Argentina will look to win it all again in 2026 in what will likely be Lionel Messi’s last international tournament.
The Inter Miami star had previously cast some doubt over his participation in the upcoming 2026 World Cup. But even at 38 years old, barring an injury or something more serious, all signs point towards him being there.
And Argentina will need every minute he can play, seeing as he is still their best and most decisive player. The No.10 was integral to their Copa America title in 2024 and also their campaign in the qualifiers that saw them finish top – nine points clear of second-placed Ecuador.
Why are Argentina among the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup?
Safest bet
International football has been wide open in the last few years – probably as much as it has been since around 2014, when Germany were heavy favourites in every competition they played.
France had everything to build a dynasty but, apart from the 2018 success in Russia, came up short in other tournaments. Now, every ‘big’ country seems to have major flaws that can discourage anyone from believing they can win. Argentina might be the only exception.
They have dominated South American football recently, winning each of the last two editions of the Copa America. The Albiceleste finished 2nd in the 2022 WC qualifiers behind Brazil, but lost zero games in the process.
And they have also dominated the head-to-head matchup against their fierce rivals (current five-game unbeaten run vs Brazil, last losing a game to them in 2019). The most recent one, in fact, was a 4-1 demolition job without Messi.
Tactical flexibility, continuity and work rate
Lionel Scaloni took over the Argentina national team in August 2018 and hasn’t looked back since. Throughout 90 games, he has led them to four official titles (2022 World Cup, 2024 and 2021 Copa America, 2022 Finalissima), 67 wins, 14 draws and just 9 losses.
The Albiceleste also went on a 36-game unbeaten run from 2019 to 2022, which ended against an unlikely opponent (Saudi Arabia in their 2022 World Cup opener).
Scaloni has used nine different players in more than 50 games during his reign as Argentina manager. Rodrigo De Paul leads the way with 82, followed closely by Lautaro Martinez (72) and Leandro Paredes (71).
He has showed a lot of tactical flexibility, using variations of the 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and recently even tinkering with a back-three. But the preference lately seems to be for two-strikers sets. Versatility is one of the main factors in his selections, favouring players who can perform multiple roles.
In addition to that, every single Argentine shows an immense sense of patriotic pride when playing for their country. They are probably the grittiest and bravest team in international football, capable of covering large distances and reduce space for their opponents to work while getting stuck in and ‘intimidating’ them.
And each of their hard-working players also possesses great techinical quality. The midfield trio of Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and De Paul is the epitome of this mixture.
The ‘Lionel Messi’ factor
Lionel Messi may be 38-years old, but he is still going strong. The level of competition hasn’t been the highest as of late, but he was excellent in the Copa America and the CONMEBOL qualifiers.
Inter Miami didn’t face many great opponents in the Club World Cup (Al Ahly, Porto, Palmeiras and Paris Saint-Germain), but he had a solid performance facing his former French side.
He was named the MLS MVP in 2025 and led his team to the title earlier in December. Messi finished the season with at least one goal involvement in each of his last 11 appearances for club and country (12 goals, 15 assists overall).
Argentina actually learned to survive without their No.10, which is a great and necessary achievement. But he’s still their technical leader and main source of attacking danger.
He was 35 in 2022 and was the second top goalscorer in the World Cup (7, one fewer than Kylian Mbappe) and led the tournament in assists (3, alongside Bruno Fernandes, Antoine Griezmann, Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic).
Three and half years is relevant time and he is definitely not at the same physical level, but still has enough gas left in the tank to lead Argentina to glory yet again in 2026.
