A gap in the world champion’s preparation
The Finalissima, which was scheduled for March 27 at Lusail Stadium in Doha, was seen as the perfect match to pit the champions of South America against the champions of Europe. However, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East forced organizers to look for a new venue, and negotiations between the AFA, Conmebol, RFEF, and UEFA ultimately fell through.
With the match suspended, Argentina lost its main international test ahead of the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Additionally, the friendly against Qatar that was planned to fill the FIFA date was also called off due to the same geopolitical situation, further complicating the team’s schedule.
Scaloni misses a key opportunity before the World Cup
This situation is a setback for Lionel Scaloni and his coaching staff, who had already prepared a preliminary squad for the Finalissima. The aim was to start evaluating options and give players competitive minutes before finalizing the World Cup roster.
Without that fixture, Argentina’s calendar is now almost empty in the final stage of the cycle. Given this scenario, the AFA is considering two alternatives: finding an opponent for a friendly in the next FIFA window, or still calling up the players for a training camp in Ezeiza for about 10 days, with the possibility of organizing a match in the country if a rival can be found.
An unprecedented event in the team’s history
If no match is arranged, Argentina will head to the 2026 World Cup without having played against any European teams throughout the cycle—something that has never happened since the World Cup began.
On the road to Qatar 2022, for example, Scaloni’s team did face several European opponents: they drew 2-2 with Germany in a 2019 friendly, beat Italy 3-0 in the 2022 Finalissima, and thrashed Estonia 5-0 in another friendly that same year.
The cycle with the most games against Europeans
The period with the highest number of matches against European teams came in the build-up to the Spain 1982 World Cup. The team led by César Luis Menotti played no fewer than 22 games against European opponents during that cycle.
This contrast highlights just how unusual it would be for the current world champions to arrive at the next World Cup without having faced any European teams in the four years prior.
Argentina’s European opponents in World Cup cycles
Throughout its history, the Argentina national team has always played at least one match against European teams before each World Cup. Some of the most recent cycles included:
2022: Germany, Italy, and Estonia.
2018: Germany, Croatia, Portugal, Russia, Italy, and Spain.
2014: Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Slovenia, and Albania.
2010: Spain, France, Switzerland, Norway, Scotland, Russia, Germany, among others.
So far, the cycle leading up to 2026 is the only one that has yet to feature any matches against European teams.