Argentina
Lionel Scaloni arrives in North America with a luxury problem: how do you improve on perfection? The man who built the Qatar 2022 triumph has barely touched the core that won it, trusting continuity over reinvention. Argentina come to the 2026 tournament holding two crowns at once, the world title and the 2024 Copa América, a rare double that no modern side is carrying into a finals. Lionel Messi, now in his late thirties at Inter Miami, remains the talisman whose involvement could swing everything, though the future is already taking shape around Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez and the relentless midfield of Enzo Fernández. Drawn in Group J alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan, the champions should pass comfortably. The harder question is whether a team that wins on systems, not just stars, can do it all over again.
Standings · J
After matchday 3 of 3| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ARG | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 9 |
| 2 | AUT | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | ALG | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 4 |
| 4 | JOR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -5 | 0 |