Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 preview: Player to watch out for, tactics, predicted matchday XI

Starting in Group J, Argentina will face the burden of expectations as they try to put together a strong World Cup defense.

Brazil were the last country to triumph in successive editions, in 1958 and 1962, and La Albiceleste have a chance of matching that feat after 64 years, given their gallop through Copa America and South American World Cup qualifying.

However, despite the presence of big names, an aging unit is putting a damper on the side’s title challenge. Head coach Lionel Scaloni’s squad consists of 17 players from the world-conquering team of four years ago, and seven of them are over 30 years old. Messi (38), Rodrigo de Paul (32), Emiliano Martinez (33) and Nicolas Otamendi (38) are the most notable players. Having to rotate the regular starters may not be the safest bet in the high-stakes cauldron of the World Cup.

But familiarity breeds consistency and Argentina would rely on it to build a campaign. The only major change forced on Argentina came with the retirement of Angel di Maria following the Copa America victory in June 2024.

Scaloni tested his team’s depth in multiple formations during the World Cup qualifying cycle, including 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1, with the left flank manned by Thiago Almada in most cases.

The recent emergence of Julian Alvarez at Atletico Madrid has delivered 20 goals and nine assists and adds weight to Argentina’s attack, with Messi still largely pulling the strings. Scaloni hasn’t had any major reasons to tinker with his midfield and defense, which will look much the same as the 2022 team.

Player to watch out for

Lionel Messi: Messi will turn 39 during the tournament and will play in his sixth and final World Cup. Although he is out of the spotlight of European football, he is still used to running the show at Inter Miami. This time the record for most goals in World Cup history is up for grabs. He needs four goals to surpass Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals.

Coach

Scaloni has been at the helm since 2018 and, in addition to taking Argentina to two Copa America titles and a World Cup, he has managed to create a proven group of players. For all its attacking flair, Argentina under Scaloni has made no concessions on defense. Argentina kept the second-most clean sheets in South America’s qualifying and will be hard to beat at the World Cup.

World Cup statistics

• Appearances: 18

• Best result: champion (1978, 1986, 2022)

• FIFA ranking: 3

• Matches played: 88

• Won: 47

• Drawn: 17

• Lost: 24

• GD: 152

• GA: 101

• Highest active goalscorer: Lionel Messi (13)

Team

• Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, John Muse
• Defenders: Leandro Balerdi, Nicolás Tagliafico, Gonzalo Montiel, Lisandro Martínez, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Nahuel Molina
• Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Valentín Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández
• Forward: Julián Álvarez, Lionel Messi, Nicolás González, Thiago Almada, Giuliano Simeone, Nico Paz, Lautaro Martinez

Published on June 10, 2026