The Game Turned Late
BUENOS AIRES — The last time the United States hosted the World Cup, Argentina lost Diego Maradona to a doping ban after a group match in 1994 and went out in the round of 16. Thirty-two years later, the same country gets another tournament, and this time the storylines point in the opposite direction.
Lionel Messi turns 39 this month. He is almost certainly playing his last World Cup, and if Argentina can hold onto the trophy it won in Qatar in 2022, the nation will become the first team to win consecutive titles since Brazil managed the feat in 1962.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
"I love playing football and I'm going to do it until I can't anymore," Messi told Argentine broadcaster Joaquín "Pollo" Álvarez in a YouTube interview. "I'm competitive, I like to win at everything. I don't even let my kids win at video games sometimes. It's just my nature and what led me to achieve everything I have."
The timing is not ideal. A week before what will be his record sixth World Cup, Messi is recovering from a hamstring problem that forced him off during Inter Miami's final match before the tournament on May 24. He worked out alone at Argentina's base camp in Kansas City this week.
"We all would have liked Messi to arrive without any problems, but that's not the case," coach Lionel Scaloni told DSports. "Not only him, most of the players aren't fully recovered yet."
The Small Details Added Up
Scaloni is dealing with a quiet pile of fitness concerns across the squad. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, hero of two penalty shootouts in 2022, broke the ring finger on his right hand during the Europa League final with Aston Villa. Defender Cristian "Cuti" Romero is recovering from a knee injury picked up in mid-April with Tottenham. Right backs Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel, along with midfielder Leandro Paredes, are managing muscle issues.
Argentina will open Group J on June 16 against Algeria in Kansas City, then face Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27 in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas.
The core is familiar. Scaloni is relying on 17 of the 26 players who won the tournament in 2022, even though several are not in peak physical condition. "Why change them if they don't deserve that? We've always been honest with them. The players who are here today have shown us they want to be here. And secondly, their level hasn't dropped," he said.
Argentina won the Copa América in 2024 and finished atop the South American qualifying group. Atletico Madrid forward Julián Álvarez is central to the attack, with Barcelona, Arsenal and PSG reportedly pursuing his signature for next season. Three debutants have been brought in: midfielder Valentín Barco, who recently signed for Chelsea, forwards Nicolás Paz (Como) and Juan Manuel López (Palmeiras).
The biggest absence from four years ago is Ángel Di María, who retired from the national team in 2024. Besides Messi, he was instrumental in Qatar. "It's impossible to fill Di María's shoes. He and Messi are irreplaceable," Scaloni said.
The Table Looks Different
Messi has tried to cool expectations. "We have to get excited, like Argentines always do, but we also have to know that there are other favorites ahead of us who are in better form," he said.
He already holds the record for most World Cup matches (26) and needs four more goals to surpass Germany forward Miroslav Klose's record of 16 tournament goals. He hasn't explicitly said he will retire from international duty after the World Cup, but last September he called Argentina's qualifying match against Venezuela in Buenos Aires his last competitive home game at the Monumental Stadium.
"It was very emotional, knowing this was my last competitive match here," he said. "I've been through a lot in this stadium — some great moments and some difficult ones — but it's always special to play in front of our fans."
Scaloni, like most Argentines, finds it difficult to imagine a national team without Messi. "I like to think he's going to keep playing because otherwise you get sad, like what happened with Diego (Maradona). They are players who have made history in football and thinking that they won't play anymore doesn't leave you at peace. I prefer to think about the present."