Lionel Messi finally got to the top of the mountain with Argentina at the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
After four unsuccessful attempts to try and emulate the great Diego Maradona and lead his country to glory, Messi starred as La Albiceleste plotted an unforgettable path to the final.
The superstar forward’s sixth and seventh goals of the competition arrived in the final —a thrilling 3-3 draw with holders France before Argentina prevailed in a penalty shootout.
In 2024, Argentina retained their Copa America title. Can Messi and head coach Lionel Scaloni keep a historic run going by finishing on the top of the podium once again in North America?
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Argentina World Cup 2026 schedule
Argentina were drawn in Group J of the World Cup, along with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.
The times and venues of their group matches were then confirmed by FIFA at a short ceremony the following day.
DateTime (ET)MatchLocationTue, June 169 p.m.Argentina vs. AlgeriaArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)Mon, June 221 p.m.Argentina vs. AustriaAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Fri, June 2710 p.m.Jordan vs. ArgentinaArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
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Argentina potential route to World Cup 2026 final
Argentina’s status as the No. 2 team in the world means that, if they and world No. 1 Spain win their groups, they will not meet until the final.
This is because FIFA has adopted a tennis-style seeding system in an attempt to keep the biggest teams apart until the closing rounds of the tournament.
If Argentina win their group, here is a rough outline of who could await in the knockout phase and a pathway to the final, based on the bracket:
- Round of 32: Uruguay
- Round of 16: Egypt or USA
- Quarterfinal: Portugal
- Semifinal: Brazil or England
- Final: Spain
The full World Cup bracket can be found here.
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
Messi record at the World Cup
Prior to Qatar, Messi’s story at the World Cup had been one of might-have-beens.The closest he came to glory was 2014, when Argentina reached the final but lost 1-0 to Germany in extra time when Mario Gotze scored the only goal at the Maracana in Rio.
In 2006 and 2010, Argentina progressed to the quarterfinals, while a shambolic 2018 campaign under Jorge Sampaoli ended with defeat to France in the Round of 16.
Across his five appearances at the World Cup finals, Messi has scored 13 goals and laid on eight assists across 26 matches.
