BUENOS AIRES (AP) — 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 Moisés Caicedo’s Ecuador on Thursday on the Monumental de Nuñez Stadium in its first official match since profitable the World cup in December.
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The final time a World Cup winner performed in South American qualifying was in 2003, when Brazil needed to safe its spot in a match with 32 groups.
The 2026 version in the US, Mexico and Canada is increasing to a 48-team format, which implies 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.
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So groups like Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are nearly positive 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 chance for renovation quite 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 Martínez, defender Nicolás Otamendi, midfielder Enzo Fernández and striker Julián Álvarez.
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Since transferring to the U.S. from Europe to affix Inter Miami, Messi has scored 11 objectives 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.
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“The beginning is all the time sophisticated,” Scaloni advised Argentina’s soccer affiliation web site. “The primary spherical all the time has its shades. I hope our gamers get there in form and are in a position to benefit from the match with our individuals. And we now have to compete, that’s what we love to do.”
Ecuador’s lineup will function Caicedo, who was lately signed by Chelsea for $146 million, and in addition embody veteran striker Enner Valencia and 16-year-old sensation Kendry Páez. Its head coach, Félix Sánchez Bas of Spain, will debut in South American qualifying.
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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 start data 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 Thursday, Colombia will play Venezuela and Paraguay takes on Peru. On Friday, Brazil opens towards Bolivia and Uruguay hosts 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 look ahead to Carlo Ancelotti to depart Actual Madrid on the finish of the season.
The Selecao is much 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 Paquetá 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.
“The very first thing to do is to create connections with the gamers as rapidly as attainable, set up good relationships and implement the tactical component day-to-day,” Diniz advised media upon arrival within the Amazon metropolis of Belem, the place Brazil will tackle Bolivia. “It’s just a bit time, however it’s time. We have to know the way to seize it.”
Bolivia is without doubt one of the six groups within the competitors that 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 in control of Uruguay after an extended spell in European golf equipment. He began his job by leaving strikers Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani out of the squad that can tackle Chile at house. Bielsa is utilizing members of Uruguay’s Below-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 Sánchez.
Néstor Lorenzo, a longtime assistant to José Pekerman, shall be Colombia’s head coach this time. The Argentinian will rely on striker Luis Díaz as his foremost participant, however can be leaving the door open for veterans like James Rodríguez.
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.