• Argentina have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 26

  

• They became the seventh nation to book their place at the event

• Emiliano Martinez, Alexis Mac Allister and Lionel Messi have dazzled in qualifying

Argentina will defend the trophy at the FIFA World Cup 26™. Lionel Scaloni’s side qualified without kicking a ball on Tuesday, becoming the sixth nation to enter the field following the three co-hosts, Canada, Mexico and USA, as well as IR Iran, Japan and New Zealand. Bolivia, the only team outside the automatic places who could have caught Argentina in the South American preliminaries, drew 0-0 against Uruguay on to leave themselves an insurmountable gap in the South American qualifiers. Argentina will host Brazil at the iconic Monumental in Buenos Aires later today.

The Albiceleste are on 28 points from a possible 39. Highlights of their campaign include a 1-0 win over Brazil at the Maracana, a 6-0 thrashing of Bolivia at the Monumental in which Lionel Messi registered a hat-trick and two assists, and a Thiago Almada-propelled reverse of Uruguay at the Centenario on Friday. The 2026 edition will be Argentina’s 19th World Cup. Only Germany and Brazil, who were at their 20th and 22nd respectively in Qatar, have participated in more. Mexico 1970 was the last global finals Argentina missed out on. Roberto Perfumo, Silvio Marzolini, Miguel Angel Brindisi, Hector Yazalde and Co unexpectedly finished bottom of a three-team group behind Bolivia and winners Peru. It remains the only time Argentina, who didn’t take part in the 1938, 1950 and 1954 preliminaries, failed in an attempt to qualify.

Most successive World Cup participations

Big-stage success

Ubaldo Fillol, Daniel Passarella, Mario Kempes and Leopoldo Luque inspired Argentina to their first world title on home soil in 1978. A 17-year-old Diego Maradona was controversially left out of Cesar Luis Menotti’s squad for that tournament, but ‘El Pibe de Oro’ was utterly exceptional as Carlos Bilardo’s side seized a second star at Mexico 1986.

Maradona and Co lost 1-0 to West Germany in the Italy 1990 final, before a heavily-touted team including Diego Simeone, Juan Sebastian Veron, Ariel Ortega, Claudio Lopez and Gabriel Batistuta suffered group-stage elimination at Korea/Japan 2002. Then came the Lionel Messi era. At his third World Cup, ‘The Atomic Flea’ bagged a couple of wonder goals to propel Argentina into the final, only for an extra-time volley from Mario Gotze to snatch Germany a 1-0 success. Messi flashed his magnificence again at Russia 2018, but France won a last-16 thriller 4-3 to send him home. The Albiceleste exacted revenge of Les Bleus at Qatar 2022, Messi dazzling in a penalty-shootout success in arguably the greatest final in World Cup history.

Emiliano Martinez, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez, Messi and Lautaro Martinez will be among the favourites to conquer in North America next year.