Argentina at the 2026 World Cup – Squad, Stats, Fixtures & History
| FIFA Ranking | 2th |
| Confederation | CONMEBOL |
| Manager | Lionel Scaloni |
| Captain | Lionel Messi |
| Nickname | La Albiceleste |
| World Cup Titles | 3 (1978, 1986, 2022) |
| World Cup Appearances | 18 |
| Best Finish | Champions (1978, 1986, 2022) |
| 2022 World Cup | Champions — beat France on pens |
| 2026 Group | Group J (Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan) |
Team photo coming soon
Qualifying & history
Complete statistical breakdown from Argentina's CONMEBOL qualifying campaign and all-time World Cup history.
Qualifying campaign — detailed breakdown
| Final Position | Qualified |
| Record | W12 D2 L4 |
| Goals Scored | 31 (1.72/match) |
| Goals Conceded | 10 (0.56/match) |
| Goal Difference | +21 |
| Clean Sheets | 11 (61.1%) |
| Failed to Score | 2 matches (11.1%) |
| Biggest Win | 6-0 (H) / 0-3 (A) |
| Biggest Loss | 0-2 (H) / 2-1 (A) |
| Win Rate | 66.7% |
| Home Record | W7 D1 L1 (9 games) |
| Away Record | W5 D1 L3 (9 games) |
| Top Scorer | N. Otamendi (3 goals) |
| Top Assister | N. Tagliafico (1 assists) |
| Most Carded | C. Romero (3 yellow) |
| Managers Used | Lionel Scaloni |
Standard stats — CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Pos | Age | MP | Starts | Min | 90s | Gls | Ast | G+A | CrdY | CrdR | G+A/90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N. Otamendi | D | 37 | 17 | 17 | 1474 | 16.4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0.18 |
| E. Martínez | G | 33 | 16 | 16 | 1459 | 16.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| R. De Paul | M | 31 | 17 | 17 | 1371 | 15.2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.07 |
| J. Álvarez | A | 25 | 18 | 16 | 1349 | 15.0 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.47 |
| N. Molina | D | 27 | 16 | 14 | 1280 | 14.2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.07 |
| C. Romero | D | 27 | 15 | 15 | 1279 | 14.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 |
| E. Fernández | M | 24 | 15 | 15 | 1274 | 14.2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0.35 |
| N. Tagliafico | D | 33 | 15 | 14 | 1259 | 14.0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.14 |
| A. Mac Allister | M | 27 | 14 | 13 | 1055 | 11.7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.17 |
| L. Messi | A | 38 | 12 | 10 | 956 | 10.6 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1.04 |
| Lautaro Martínez | A | 28 | 14 | 8 | 756 | 8.4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0.60 |
| N. González | A | 27 | 12 | 8 | 742 | 8.2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.49 |
| L. Paredes | M | 31 | 14 | 6 | 566 | 6.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 |
| T. Almada | M | 24 | 7 | 6 | 481 | 5.3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0.94 |
| L. Balerdi | D | 26 | 7 | 3 | 346 | 3.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| G. Montiel | D | 28 | 6 | 4 | 286 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| G. Simeone | A | 23 | 7 | 3 | 282 | 3.1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.32 |
| G. Lo Celso | M | 29 | 9 | 2 | 255 | 2.8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.71 |
| E. Palacios | M | 27 | 9 | 1 | 213 | 2.4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1.25 |
| G. Rulli | G | 33 | 2 | 2 | 186 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Á. Di María | M | 37 | 4 | 1 | 167 | 1.9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.05 |
| Lisandro Martínez | D | 27 | 3 | 2 | 160 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| G. Pezzella | D | 34 | 2 | 1 | 141 | 1.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| M. Acuña | D | 34 | 5 | 1 | 133 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| F. Medina | D | 26 | 4 | 1 | 109 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| SQUAD TOTAL | 284 | 198 | 18047 | 200.5 | 31 | 26 | 57 | 25 | 3 | — | ||
Updated from qualifying campaign data
Shooting stats — CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Pos | Age | 90s | Gls | Sh | SoT | SoT% | Sh/90 | G/Sh | G/SoT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. Messi | A | 38 | 10.6 | 8 | 30 | 20 | 66.7% | 2.83 | 0.27 | 0.40 |
| J. Álvarez | A | 25 | 15.0 | 4 | 21 | 12 | 57.1% | 1.40 | 0.19 | 0.33 |
| Lautaro Martínez | A | 28 | 8.4 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 46.7% | 1.79 | 0.27 | 0.57 |
| N. Otamendi | D | 37 | 16.4 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 25.0% | 0.73 | 0.25 | 1.00 |
| T. Almada | M | 24 | 5.3 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 70.0% | 1.89 | 0.30 | 0.43 |
| E. Fernández | M | 24 | 14.2 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 50.0% | 0.70 | 0.20 | 0.40 |
| A. Mac Allister | M | 27 | 11.7 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 50.0% | 0.85 | 0.20 | 0.40 |
| N. González | A | 27 | 8.2 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 66.7% | 1.10 | 0.22 | 0.33 |
| N. Tagliafico | D | 33 | 14.0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 37.5% | 0.57 | 0.13 | 0.33 |
| G. Simeone | A | 23 | 3.1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 60.0% | 1.61 | 0.20 | 0.33 |
| P. Dybala | A | 32 | 0.3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | 6.67 | 0.50 | 1.00 |
| R. De Paul | M | 31 | 15.2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 30.8% | 0.86 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| L. Paredes | M | 31 | 6.3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 20.0% | 0.79 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Á. Di María | M | 37 | 1.9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | 1.58 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| C. Romero | D | 27 | 14.2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | 0.14 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Lisandro Martínez | D | 27 | 1.8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | 1.11 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| V. Castellanos | A | 27 | 0.1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | 20.00 | 0.00 | — |
| N. Molina | D | 27 | 14.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.07 | 0.00 | — |
| G. Lo Celso | M | 29 | 2.8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.36 | 0.00 | — |
| Franco Mastantuono | M | 18 | 1.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.91 | 0.00 | — |
| SQUAD TOTAL | 200.5 | 31 | 163 | 81 | 49.7% | — | — | — | ||
Goalkeeping stats — CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Age | MP | Starts | Min | 90s | GA | GA90 | SoTA | Saves | Save% | CS | CS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. Martínez | 33 | 16 | 16 | 1459 | 16.2 | 9 | 0.56 | — | 25 | — | — | — |
| G. Rulli | 33 | 2 | 2 | 186 | 2.1 | 1 | 0.48 | — | 6 | — | — | — |
| SQUAD TOTAL | 18 | 18 | 1645 | 18.3 | 10 | 0.55 | — | 31 | — | — | — | |
Playing time — CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Pos | Age | MP | Min | Min% | Starts | Subs | Complete 90s | PPM | On-Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N. Otamendi | D | 37 | 17 | 1474 | 8.2% | 17 | 0 | — | — | — |
| E. Martínez | G | 33 | 16 | 1459 | 8.1% | 16 | 0 | — | — | — |
| R. De Paul | M | 31 | 17 | 1371 | 7.6% | 17 | 0 | — | — | — |
| J. Álvarez | A | 25 | 18 | 1349 | 7.5% | 16 | 2 | — | — | — |
| N. Molina | D | 27 | 16 | 1280 | 7.1% | 14 | 2 | — | — | — |
| C. Romero | D | 27 | 15 | 1279 | 7.1% | 15 | 0 | — | — | — |
| E. Fernández | M | 24 | 15 | 1274 | 7.1% | 15 | 0 | — | — | — |
| N. Tagliafico | D | 33 | 15 | 1259 | 7.0% | 14 | 1 | — | — | — |
| A. Mac Allister | M | 27 | 14 | 1055 | 5.8% | 13 | 1 | — | — | — |
| L. Messi | A | 38 | 12 | 956 | 5.3% | 10 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Lautaro Martínez | A | 28 | 14 | 756 | 4.2% | 8 | 6 | — | — | — |
| N. González | A | 27 | 12 | 742 | 4.1% | 8 | 4 | — | — | — |
| L. Paredes | M | 31 | 14 | 566 | 3.1% | 6 | 8 | — | — | — |
| T. Almada | M | 24 | 7 | 481 | 2.7% | 6 | 1 | — | — | — |
| L. Balerdi | D | 26 | 7 | 346 | 1.9% | 3 | 4 | — | — | — |
| G. Montiel | D | 28 | 6 | 286 | 1.6% | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| G. Simeone | A | 23 | 7 | 282 | 1.6% | 3 | 4 | — | — | — |
| G. Lo Celso | M | 29 | 9 | 255 | 1.4% | 2 | 7 | — | — | — |
| E. Palacios | M | 27 | 9 | 213 | 1.2% | 1 | 8 | — | — | — |
| G. Rulli | G | 33 | 2 | 186 | 1.0% | 2 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Á. Di María | M | 37 | 4 | 167 | 0.9% | 1 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Lisandro Martínez | D | 27 | 3 | 160 | 0.9% | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| G. Pezzella | D | 34 | 2 | 141 | 0.8% | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| M. Acuña | D | 34 | 5 | 133 | 0.7% | 1 | 4 | — | — | — |
| F. Medina | D | 26 | 4 | 109 | 0.6% | 1 | 3 | — | — | — |
PPM = Points per match when player was on the pitch.
Discipline & miscellaneous — CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Player | Pos | Age | 90s | CrdY | CrdR | Fls | Fld | Off | Int | TklW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Romero | D | 27 | 14.2 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 15 | — | — | — |
| N. Tagliafico | D | 33 | 14.0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 19 | — | — | — |
| L. Paredes | M | 31 | 6.3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 13 | — | — | — |
| N. Otamendi | D | 37 | 16.4 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 11 | — | — | — |
| E. Fernández | M | 24 | 14.2 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 27 | — | — | — |
| Lautaro Martínez | A | 28 | 8.4 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 14 | — | — | — |
| R. De Paul | M | 31 | 15.2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 45 | — | — | — |
| J. Álvarez | A | 25 | 15.0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 10 | — | — | — |
| N. Molina | D | 27 | 14.2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | — | — |
| A. Mac Allister | M | 27 | 11.7 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 25 | — | — | — |
| T. Almada | M | 24 | 5.3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — |
| L. Balerdi | D | 26 | 3.8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
| G. Montiel | D | 28 | 3.2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — |
| G. Lo Celso | M | 29 | 2.8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 13 | — | — | — |
| E. Palacios | M | 27 | 2.4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — |
| G. Pezzella | D | 34 | 1.6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
| E. Martínez | G | 33 | 16.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — |
| L. Messi | A | 38 | 10.6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 34 | — | — | — |
| N. González | A | 27 | 8.2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 15 | — | — | — |
| G. Simeone | A | 23 | 3.1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| G. Rulli | G | 33 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Á. Di María | M | 37 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — |
| Lisandro Martínez | D | 27 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — |
| M. Acuña | D | 34 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — |
| F. Medina | D | 26 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| SQUAD TOTAL | 200.5 | 25 | 3 | 193 | 280 | — | — | — | ||
CrdY = Yellow cards · CrdR = Red cards · Fls = Fouls committed · Fld = Fouls drawn · Off = Offsides · Int = Interceptions · TklW = Tackles won
Scores & fixtures — CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers 2026
| Date | MD | Venue | Opponent | Result | GF | GA | Formation | Captain | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 2023 | 1 | Home | Ecuador | W | 1 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Sep 12, 2023 | 2 | Away | Bolivia | W | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Oct 12, 2023 | 3 | Home | Paraguay | W | 1 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Oct 17, 2023 | 4 | Away | Peru | W | 2 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Nov 16, 2023 | 5 | Home | Uruguay | L | 0 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Nov 21, 2023 | 6 | Away | Brazil | W | 1 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Sep 5, 2024 | 7 | Home | Chile | W | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Sep 10, 2024 | 8 | Away | Colombia | L | 1 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Oct 10, 2024 | 9 | Away | Venezuela | D | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2024 | 10 | Home | Bolivia | W | 6 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Nov 14, 2024 | 11 | Away | Paraguay | L | 1 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Nov 19, 2024 | 12 | Home | Peru | W | 1 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | 13 | Away | Uruguay | W | 1 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Mar 25, 2025 | 14 | Home | Brazil | W | 4 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Jun 5, 2025 | 15 | Away | Chile | W | 1 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Jun 10, 2025 | 16 | Home | Colombia | D | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Sep 4, 2025 | 17 | Home | Venezuela | W | 3 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Sep 9, 2025 | 18 | Away | Ecuador | L | 0 | 1 | — | — | — |
Qualifying record: CONMEBOL — 1st place (38 pts)
Formation usage — 2024–2026
| Formation | Times Used | W | D | L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-3-3 | 8 | — | — | — | 47.1% |
| 4-2-3-1 | 3 | — | — | — | 17.6% |
| 4-4-2 | 2 | — | — | — | 11.8% |
| 3-5-2 | 1 | — | — | — | 5.9% |
| 4-3-1-2 | 1 | — | — | — | 5.9% |
| 4-1-3-2 | 1 | — | — | — | 5.9% |
| 4-2-2-2 | 1 | — | — | — | 5.9% |
Primary formation: 4-3-3 (used in 47.1% of qualifying matches)
All-time World Cup record
| World Cup Appearances | 18 |
| Total Matches | 88 |
| Record | W47 D17 L24 |
| Win Rate | 53.4% |
| Goals | 156 scored, 94 conceded (GD +62) |
| Titles | 3 — 1978, 1986, 2022 |
| Best Finish | Champions (3 times) |
Year-by-year results
| Year | Host | Result | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qatar | Champions | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 8 |
| 2018 | Russia | Round of 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 2014 | Brazil | Runners-up | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
| 2010 | South Africa | Quarterfinals | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
| 2006 | Germany | Quarterfinals | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 |
| 2002 | South Korea/Japan | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1998 | France | Quarterfinals | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 |
| 1994 | USA | Round of 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
| 1990 | Italy | Runners-up | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| 1986 | Mexico | Champions | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 5 |
| 1982 | Spain | 2nd Group stage | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 7 |
| 1978 | Argentina | Champions | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 4 |
| 1974 | West Germany | 2nd Group stage | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 |
| 1966 | England | Quarterfinals | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 1962 | Chile | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1958 | Sweden | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 1934 | Italy | 1st Round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Runners-up | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 8 |
| TOTAL | 18 editions | 88 | 47 | 17 | 24 | 156 | 94 | |
Argentina all-time top scorers at World Cups
| # | Player | Goals | Tournaments | Years Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 1 | Lionel Messi | 13 | 5 | 2006–2022 |
| 2 | Gabriel Batistuta | 10 | 3 | 1994–2002 |
| 3 | Diego Maradona | 8 | 4 | 1982–1994 |
| 4 | Guillermo Stábile | 8 | 1 | 1930 |
| 5 | Mario Kempes | 6 | 2 | 1974–1978 |
Head-to-head vs Group J opponents
vs Algeria
1
Total
0
Argentina W
1
Draws
0
Algeria W
Last meeting: Argentina 0-0 Algeria · June 2026
vs Austria
1
Total
0
Argentina W
1
Draws
0
Austria W
Last meeting: Argentina 0-0 Austria · June 2026
vs Jordan
1
Total
0
Argentina W
1
Draws
0
Jordan W
Last meeting: Jordan 0-0 Argentina · June 2026
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