Lionel Messi and his Argentina lineup shall be again on World Cup obligation this week, when their bid to defend the title begins in South American qualifying.
Argentina will face Moiss Caicedo’s Ecuador on Thursday on the Monumental de Nuez Stadium of their first official match since profitable the World cup in December.
The final time a World Cup winner performed in South American qualifying was in 2003, when Brazil needed to safe their spot in a match with 32 groups.
The 2026 version in america, Mexico and Canada is increasing to a 48-team format, which suggests the variety of direct spots from South America will increase from 4 to 6 and the seventh-place staff goes into an intercontinental playoff for one more place.
So, groups like Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are nearly certain to advance from the round-robin qualification match that runs till September 2025. The brand new format has led many prime coaches and gamers to see the match as preparation and a possibility for renovation slightly than a make-or-break competitors.
The Argentina squad shall be laden with World Cup winners, with the 36-year-old Messi joined by the likes of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, defender Nicolas Otamendi, midfielder Enzo Fernandez and striker Julian Alvarez.
Since shifting to the US from Europe to hitch Inter Miami, Messi has scored 11 targets in MLS and is in good kind.
Coach Lionel Scaloni is but to lose a South American World Cup qualifying match, with Argentina’s final defeat within the match – in 2017 – coming earlier than his tenure began.
Ecuador’s lineup will function Caicedo, who was not too long ago signed by Chelsea for $146 million, and in addition embody veteran striker Enner Valencia and 16-year-old sensation Kendry Pez. Their head coach, Flix Snchez Bas of Spain, will debut in South American qualifying.
The Ecuador lineup can have the double drawback of enjoying away, and beginning the competitors three factors behind the opposite 9 groups.
FIFA punished Ecuador with the deduction of three factors in South American qualifying for the falsification of delivery info of defender Byron Castillo, who’s of Colombian origin. So, even a surprising upset win in Argentina would solely get Bas and his staff again to zero.
In different video games on Thursday, Colombia will play Venezuela and Paraguay tackle Peru. On Friday, Brazil open towards Bolivia and Uruguay host Chile.
The house sport towards Bolivia would be the first in cost for coach Fernando Diniz, who has a one-year contract whereas the five-time World Cup champions watch for Carlo Ancelotti to go away Actual Madrid on the finish of the season.
The Selecao are removed from settled.
Vinicius Junior has been dominated out due to a hamstring harm; Neymar is returning after a while on the sidelines and a divisive switch to Saudi Arabia; Lucas Paqueta is absent due to a Premier League investigation that linked the midfielder to playing; and Antony was dropped after an ex-girlfriend made allegations of assault.
Bolivia are one of many six groups within the competitors who can have an Argentinian coach on the bench. Gustavo Costas has been tasked with returning Bolivia to the World Cup for the primary time since 1994.
Veteran Marcelo Bielsa shall be answerable for Uruguay after an extended spell in European golf equipment. He began his job by leaving strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani out of the squad that can tackle Chile at dwelling. Bielsa is utilizing members of Uruguay’s Beneath-20 World Cup profitable staff to rejuvenate the squad.
That was not the case for Chile’s Argentinian coach Eduardo Berizzo, who’s bringing again Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel and Alexis Sanchez.
Nestor Lorenzo, a longtime assistant to Jose Pekerman, shall be Colombia’s head coach this time. The Argentinian will depend on striker Luis Daz as his important participant, however can be leaving the door open for veterans like James Rodriguez.
Venezuela, the one staff of the area that’s but to qualify for a World Cup, additionally picked an Argentinian as head coach when it employed Fernando Batista.
