Reigning champions Argentina have a challenging path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, with high-level opponents and crucial challenges in the knockout stages.
Lionel Messi and the Argentina national team know their path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, and it won't be easy at all for the reigning champions. Argentina won Group J, remaining undefeated with victories over Algeria, Austria and Jordan, which allowed Messi to become the all-time top scorer in World Cup history. La Albiceleste remains one of the favorite teams to lift the trophy on 19 July, with odds of +400, only behind France.
Here's what you need to know about Argentina's path to the 2026 World Cup final: This simulation of Argentina's path assumes two factors: 1. that the team wins all of its matches in the knockout stages, and 2. that the team with the highest FIFA ranking in every other matchup wins as expected, starting in the round of 32. This creates the most difficult — and perhaps the most realistic — path for Argentina to reach the final.
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