Argentina

Argentina are the defending FIFA World Cup champions, having won the 2022 Qatar tournament on penalties against France. Lionel Messi's squad enters 2026 as title favourites and are one of the draw's most commercially attractive teams. In Kansas City, the Argentina v Algeria group match saw Category 1 ticket prices surge 87% to $765, driven by demand — evidence cited in the Article 102 complaint about FIFA's dynamic pricing practices.

Argentina play in Group G (shared with the United States, Iran, and Algeria), making their group the tournament's most geopolitically charged. They open in Los Angeles.

Argentina is the endemic heartland of Andes hantavirus, the only hantavirus strain capable of person-to-person transmission. Patagonia is the primary risk zone; Ushuaia, the cruise departure point for vessels including the MV Hondius, sits within it. 101 confirmed hantavirus cases were recorded in Argentina from June 2025 onwards, roughly double the prior year's rate, a trajectory that triggered a PAHO Epidemiological Alert on 19 December 2025 . That alert went unacted-on for five months before a confirmed Andes cluster across 23 nationalities forced international attention . Argentina also carries Junin virus in the Pampas grain belt; the WHO Arenaviridae roadmap published in March 2026 creates the funding rationale for a coordinated national countermeasure programme .

Argentina are the defending FIFA World Cup champions, having won the 2022 Qatar tournament on penalties against France. They enter 2026 as title favourites, captained by Lionel Messi, confirmed in the final 26 on 28 May 2026 for a record sixth World Cup appearance, almost certainly his last at age 39. Argentina open in Group G against Algeria on 16 June in Kansas City, one of the tournament's most commercially attractive fixtures; Category 1 ticket prices for that match surged 87% to $765, cited in the Article 102 EU competition complaint about FIFA's pricing practices. Group G also contains the United States and Iran, making it the tournament's most geopolitically charged draw. Secondary-market prices for many group fixtures fell roughly 37% in the final weeks, but Argentina's matches remained elevated. With Messi's sixth tournament almost certainly his last, Argentina's campaign carries the weight of a generation-defining farewell alongside the weight of defending champions.

Argentina won their group and entered the Round of 32 as the tournament's leading scorer. In their final group match on 27 June, Messi's free kick gave Argentina a 3-1 win over Jordan, taking his World Cup career total to 19 goals, the outright all-time record in men's football. He had passed Miroslav Klose's previous men's record of 16 earlier in the group stage; the Jordan strike extended the gap. Messi has scored at six consecutive World Cups from 2006 to 2026, a feat he shares with Cristiano Ronaldo. At 38, he enters the knockout stage as the Golden Boot frontrunner.

Argentina needed extra time to see off debutants Cape Verde in the Round of 32 on 3 July, winning 3-2 as Messi opened the scoring with his 20th World Cup goal before Cristian Romero's deflected header settled it after Cape Verde twice came from behind. The result sends the holders into a last-16 tie with Mohamed Salah's Egypt, who beat Australia on penalties for their first-ever World Cup knockout win.