The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be jointly hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. There would be 42 teams participating in the competition with all in contention to win the prestigious FIFA World Cup title. In all of the 36 teams, Argentina is one team who would be looking to consolidate their status as World champions one more time by winning back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles. Well, this is possible to do. Many football experts are already predicting that they will do so. In this article, we will be analyzing some of the Argentina National Team’s strengths. Going into the competition that could make them emerge as FIFA World Cup Champions in 2026. Let’s get started.
1. Motivation From Copa America
The Argentina National Team would be looking to build on the success of their Copa America win in the FIFA World Cup competition in 2026. The Argentina National Team emerged as Copa America Champions in 2024. And that made it the second time in the last three competitions that Argentina would be champions. No doubt, that would make them huge favorites going into football’s most celebrated competition.
It is also good to note that the Argentina side became Copa America champions. This was not on a platter but had to overcome competition from other South American footballing giants. They had to beat teams like Columbia, and Chile among other tough opponents. These teams are teams who have had strong records going for them in the competition.
However, in all the matches Argentina faced, they were able to come out on top. Something only champions do. So, no doubt, this would be a huge factor that would come into play in the Argentina National Team’s quest to win the FIFA World Cup come 2026.
2. Prime Players
Another fact that comes with winning an international tournament like the FIFA World Cup is the players. When a large crop of the players in a National Team is too young, they are labeled as “inexperienced”. On the other hand, when a large crop of these players is old, they are also labeled as “too old to run”.
In terms of players, the Argentina National Team does well. The majority of the players in the Argentina National Team will be turning to their football prime ages (between the ages of 24 – 29 years) when the competition begins in 2026. These players include Lautaro Martinez — who would be 29 years old, Julian Alvarez — 26, Enzo Fernandez — 25, and Emiliano Martinez — 33 (prime year for goalkeepers), among others.
So, this places Argentina in pole position to win the FIFA World Cup in 2026. The players, especially the ones mentioned above haven’t hit their prime ages yet. And they’ve been pulling great numbers in their respective positions. So, imagine how incredible they would be when they get to their prime ages. You’ll agree that the Argentina National Team would have a lot of firepower in their hands waiting to unleash when the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins.
3. The Messi Factor
Messi is arguably one of the all-time greatest Argentina footballers. No doubt, his presence in the National Team would be a huge morale booster for the squad. He is a player who is always decisive in matches and his participation would help the Argentina National Team emerge successful in their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign. In FIFA World Cup competitions, Messi is the leading Argentina all-time goal scorer. So he would surely be banked on to bag the goals and assists for the Argentina National Team as he has done in the past FIFA World Cup competitions he has participated in.
For the Argentina National Team squad, Messi is more like a mentor. According to DePaul, Messi “is the best thing” to happen to them. His experience and oversight is always one that is always welcomed in the dressing room. So, it is safe to say that so long as Lionel Messi does not hang his boots before the next FIFA World Cup, the Argentina team led by him has a higher chance to win the World Cup.
4. Ever-dependable Goalkeeping Options
It is often said that “attack wins you games, while defense wins you titles”. This is true. The first line of defense starts with the goalkeeper. With the Argentina National Team, the goal-keeping options are well secured. The first choice, Emiliano Martinez, and the second choice, Rulli are two world-class goalkeepers. The success of the Argentina National Team in the last three international competitions they have participated in has been largely due to the effort of these goalkeepers.
Emiliano Martinez stands out for his penalty kick-saving specialty. It has been revealed that since his debut for the Argentina National Team, he has saved 50% of the penalty kicks he has faced. Rulli, on the other hand, has been responsible for the behind-the-scenes tactics and strategies. Which are deployed by Emiliano Martinez on the pitch. According to reports, he works alongside the goal-keeping coaches and Emiliano Martinez to provide information on the potential penalty kick takers of opponents. The Argentina National Team can be confident that if the competition boils down to penalty kicks, they have a reliable man between the sticks for the job!
Conclusion
The FIFA World Cup 2026 promises to be exciting. The array of talents and competition to expect makes the competition one that’s worth the wait. With the Argentina National Team, they would be looking to secure a back-to-back championship title when the competition kicks off in 2026. The factor above makes them very much in to compete for football’s most decorated competition. Well, would they emerge victorious? Only time will tell, let’s keep our fingers crossed.
