It was supposed to be a formality. La Albiceleste didn’t just qualify; they crushed the process. Winning 12 out of 18 games in CONMEBOL, Argentina became the first team to lock in their spot for this summer. They did it back in March 2024, with four matches still left on the schedule. A breezy run for a side used to walking on air.
But titles don’t defend themselves. Not really.
Lionel Messi is 38 now. He is tired, probably, but also hungry. His hat trick against Algeria in Kansas City wasn’t just three goals. It was a statement. With those strikes, he tied Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup record. 16 goals. Exactly. Now, every shot counts differently. Kylian Mbappé sits on 14. The race isn’t over, even if the trophy is technically already in a locker room in Buenos Aires.
How Lionel Scaloni’s 4-3-3 Controls The Chaos
Scaloni knows the clock is ticking. The 48-year-old coach has built a pragmatic fortress around his superstar.
“Messi has free rein, but the team presses when they don’t have the ball.”
It sounds simple. Execution is harder. The 4-3-3 lets Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Rodrigo De Paul control the tempo. When Argentina loses possession, the press is aggressive. Immediate. There’s no sitting back and absorbing. Not under Scaloni. This pragmatic approach has won them a World Cup and two Copa Américas. It is the most successful stint in Argentina coaching history, statistically speaking. But statistics are cold comfort when the opposition is Austria, Algeria and… wait, is it Iraq or Jordan? The group stages shift. Group J looks like Austria, Algeria and Iraq for qualification, but fixtures mention Jordan. The geography of World Cup 2026 is complex, hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico. Argentina’s opponents are tangible threats. Austria brings intensity. Algeria, as we saw in the 3-0 opener, brings flair, even when outscored by a hat trick.
Who Actually Plays For Argentina Besides Messi?
The narrative focuses on the swan song. The legacy. The final bow. It ignores the engine room.
Nico Paz. He’s 21. Playing for Como in Serie A, he racked up 12 goals and seven assists last season. A lot of production for a guy who barely gets minutes for the national team right now. But potential is heavy. Arsenal and Real Madrid are reportedly sniffing around for a transfer this summer. If Paz gets called up—and Scaloni might, if the midfield trio fatigues—he has the maturity to not choke. That’s what matters. Not the hype. The maturity.
Then there are the defenders. Cristian Romero at Tottenham. Lisandro Martínez at Man Utd. Both aggressive. Both capable of breaking the opposition’s spirit, or their own team’s concentration, depending on the day. Emiliano Martínez between the posts provides stability. He doesn’t make headlines anymore, except when he needs to. Which he does, usually at the right moment.
Where And How To Watch Argentina In 2026
You don’t need to be in North America to care. You do need to be connected.
The schedule is packed. Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City hosted the opener. Next up? Dallas. AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is the next stop. Against Austria on June 22 at 1 p.m. ET. Then Jordan on June 27.
If you’re trying to watch these matches, the options are messy but clear.
- English: Fox holds exclusive live broadcast rights. FS1 gets some too. If you cut the cord, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV carry these channels. For the bare minimum budget? The Fox One streaming app is the cheapest route.
- Spanish: NBCUniversal handles the rights here. Telemundo shows 92 games. Universo takes the rest 12. Stream it on Peacock if you want Dolby Vision and Atmos sound. It adds depth. The game feels larger in HDR.
Some folks try to use a VPN to stream from abroad. Technically legal in places like the US and Canada for privacy. It encrypts traffic, stops ISP throttling, protects public Wi-Fi usage. But? Streaming services hate it. They block IP addresses that jump regions. Check the terms of service. It’s not a magic wand, just an encryption tunnel. Often a blocked one.
The Squad At A Glance
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez, Gerónimo Rulli, Juan Musso.
Defenders: Balerdi, Montiel, Lisandro Martínez, Romero, Otamendi, Medina, Molina, Tagliafico.
Midfielders: Paredes, De Paul, Barco, Lo Celso, Palacios, Mac Allister, Fernández, Nicolás González.
Forwards: Julián Álvarez, Messi, Almada, Simeone, Paz, José Manuel López, Lautaro Martínez.
Look at that attack. Álvarez. Simeone Jr. Paz. Lautaro Martínez at Inter Milan. They can run for days. They don’t have to. Because Messi is still there.
He drew level with Klose. 16. He’s aiming for 17. Then 18. There’s no ceiling until he decides to leave. And this summer feels like the leaving point.
The questions remain. Can Austria press them enough? Can Jordan disrupt the rhythm? It’s unlikely, but football is cruel that way. One mistake. One missed tackle by Otamendi or Tagliafico, and the perfect start dissolves into noise.
Messi will keep shooting. We will keep watching. And somewhere in the commentary, someone will ask if he’s really the greatest. Again.
