The defending world champions arrive at the 2026 World Cup trying to do something no team has managed since Brazil in 1962: win it twice in a row. Lionel Messi is 38 and may be playing his last World Cup, and every Argentine in the squad will run until their legs give out to send him off properly. Lionel Scaloni has built the most complete squad in world football, and Argentina are our favourites to win it.
Scaloni's key men alongside Messi are Julián Álvarez and Enzo Fernández.
Why Argentina are our number one
The squad has almost everything.
- Messi, even at 38, still has the vision, passing and knack for magic in big moments that made him one of the greatest players in football history.
- Álvarez has become a world-class striker at Atlético Madrid, clinical and relentless and hungry for goals on the biggest stage.
- Enzo Fernández is a complete midfielder at Chelsea. His passing, tackling and leadership at 25 put him among the best in the world.
- The trophies are recent: the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América.
Scaloni has also built one of the strongest team cultures in international football. The players fight for each other like brothers.
That is the case: the best player of his era, a world-class squad, a clever manager and the mentality of champions. Messi's farewell World Cup will be one of the most emotional stories the game has seen, and his teammates will move mountains to hand him one last trophy. Stopping them will take something special.
The end of World Cup Favourites
Over the past 30 days we have counted down the 30 teams most likely to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, from Canada's dreams on home soil to Argentina's bid for back-to-back titles. It promises to be quite a tournament.
Who is your favourite to win it?
