Argentina are going back to the World Cup as holders, and Lionel Messi is leading them there again. Lionel Scaloni has kept the spine of the team largely intact, with almost two thirds of the 2022 squad still in place as Argentina try to defend the title they won in Qatar.
That is why the search for Argentina's World Cup plan matters now. Fans want to know who is in charge, who is still there from the champions of 2022 and whether this group can do it again. Scaloni, who won the 2022 World Cup and two Copa América titles with Argentina, is expected to stay with his familiar 4-3-3 formation, built around a squad that knows each other almost by heart.
Messi is back at the center of it, with Julián Alvarez and Thiago Almada supporting him and Lautaro Martínez aiming to be in top condition for the tournament after not reaching that level in Qatar. Almada has been flagged as a possible breakout star, while Nico Paz has impressed at Como. Ángel Di María is no longer part of the national team, but the core that carried Argentina through the last cycle remains largely intact.
The credentials are still there. Argentina topped the Conmebol qualifying section and finished nine points clear of Ecuador, underlining how steady the group has remained after winning three major trophies across Scaloni's eight-year spell. They also recorded a first World Cup qualifying win in Brazil, another sign that this team has not lost its edge just because the last trophy is already in the cabinet.
Even so, Scaloni is not pretending this will be straightforward. Several players came through a punishing club season with injury setbacks, and he has warned that the tournament will be “very complex and difficult,” adding that the shirt demands good football but not even the best side always wins. That is the pressure on a team that begins as one of the favorites, yet still has to prove its fitness before the real test starts.
The next part of the story is already set. Argentina open against Algeria in Kansas City on 16 June at 8pm local time, then face Austria in Dallas on 22 June at noon local time before meeting Jordan in Dallas on 27 June at 9pm local time. If Messi and Scaloni can keep the group healthy, Argentina will again look like a world force; if not, the title defense could turn difficult fast.
