Argentina

There is no greater story at the 2026 FIFA World Cup than Argentina's pursuit of back-to-back world titles with Lionel Messi, at age 38, playing what will almost certainly be the final chapter of the most decorated international career in football history. When Messi lifted the trophy in Lusail in December 2022, completing the only significant gap in his resume after five previous World Cup campaigns, the sporting world exhaled. That Argentina squad was built for one purpose, and it delivered. The question in 2026 is whether Lionel Scaloni can sustain that coherence, and whether Messi can produce the performances that matter across seven matches over six weeks. The historical precedent for back-to-back World Cup titles is sobering: only Brazil has managed it, winning in 1958 and 1962 with Pelé playing in both tournaments — the exact parallel that Messi's 2026 campaign invites. No European nation has ever successfully defended the trophy. The weight of that history will press on Argentina throughout the tournament, but it also fuels them. Scaloni has built his squad around a defensive foundation that is arguably the most secure in world football. The center-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez — both Premier League-tested at Tottenham and Manchester United respectively — has been described by multiple analysts as potentially the world's finest at their position. Emiliano Martinez in goal remains among the two or three best goalkeepers on the planet, a difference-maker in the shootout moments that World Cups so often produce. Attacking quality beyond Messi is provided by Lautaro Martinez, who has been Inter Milan's top scorer for three consecutive seasons, and Julian Alvarez, the Manchester City forward who was instrumental in the 2022 triumph. Argentina's Group J draw — Austria, Algeria, Jordan — is one of the competition's most favorable for a top seed. If Messi is fit and firing, they cannot be ruled out.