Lionel Messi finally got to the top of the mountain with Argentina at the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
After four unsuccessful attempts to try and emulate the great Diego Maradona and lead his country to glory, Messi starred as La Albiceleste plotted an unforgettable path to the final.
The superstar forward's sixth and seventh goals of the competition arrived in the final —a thrilling 3-3 draw with holders France before Argentina prevailed in a penalty shootout.
In 2024, Argentina retained their Copa America title. Can Messi and head coach Lionel Scaloni keep a historic run going by finishing on the top of the podium once again in North America?
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Argentina World Cup 2026 schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
Argentina's full group stage schedule will appear here after the December 5 draw in Washington D.C.
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Argentina World Cup 2026 potential knockout draw
Argentina's status as the No. 2 team in the world means that, if they and world No. 1 Spain win their groups, they will not meet until the final.
This is because FIFA has adopted a tennis-style seeding system in an attempt to keep the biggest teams apart until the closing rounds of the tournament.
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
Messi record at the World Cup
Prior to Qatar, Messi's story at the World Cup had been one of might-have-beens.The closest he came to glory was 2014, when Argentina reached the final but lost 1-0 to Germany in extra time when Mario Gotze scored the only goal at the Maracana in Rio.
In 2006 and 2010, Argentina progressed to the quarterfinals, while a shambolic 2018 campaign under Jorge Sampaoli ended with defeat to France in the Round of 16.
Across his five appearances at the World Cup finals, Messi has scored 13 goals and laid on eight assists across 26 matches.
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