Argentina's quest for back-to-back titles faces three key challenges: 1) Age of core stars — Messi (39), Di Maria (retired international), Angel Correa reliability; 2) Squad replenishment — young stars Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United) and Giuliano Simeone are ready but lack major tournament experience; 3) Draw difficulty — as defending champions, Argentina faces toughest possible draw in Pot 1. On the positive side: Julian Alvarez (City/Madrid) provides consistent goals;
Lautaro Martinez is world-class; Scaloni's defensive structure conceded just 3 goals in 7 Qatar knockout games. Historical note: Brazil won back-to-back in 1958/1962 — the last repeat champions. Argentina will reach the knockouts, but defending is genuinely difficult.
USA: Fox Sports & Telemundo. UK: BBC & ITV. Australia: SBS (free). FIFA+ streams select games globally.
The 2026 World Cup features 48 teams across 104 games — a historic expansion from 32 teams in previous tournaments.