Argentina is headed to the World Cup final after dramatically defeating England in the semi-finals. It doesn’t take long to look back on Argentina’s most recent trip to the game’s biggest stage. The Argentines reached the World Cup final in Qatar in 2022, where they won the tournament. They are now looking to defend their title in New York/New Jersey on Sunday against Spain.
Argentina at the 2022 World Cup
Lionel Messi finally won his first World Cup title in 2022 in Qatar, completing a career that has made him arguably the greatest player of all time. The last missing piece for him was bringing Argentina back to the mountaintop, and he did just that. There are plenty of key pieces from that 2022 team that are still integral to the 2026 team. Messi, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Emi Martínez and Julián Álvarez are just a few of the key pieces that started in the last World Cup final and will almost certainly start in this one as well. In that 2022 final, Argentina defeated France in thrilling fashion. There were multiple extra-time goals, and Argentina eventually won on penalties.
In 2022, it was France that looked to win back-to-back World Cup titles before being thwarted by Argentina. Now, it’s Argentina seeking the same prize with Spain in its path.
How many times has Argentina won the World Cup?
Argentina won its first World Cup in 1978 on home soil, beating the Netherlands 3-1. Mario Kempes won the Golden Boot at that tournament, including scoring two goals in the final.
Argentina won its second World Cup eight years later in 1986 at the Azteca in Mexico City. They defeated West Germany 3-2 in that final. That was the Argentina side that was captained by Diego Maradona, who scored the infamous “Hand of God” goal in the quarter-final against England.
Argentina won its third World Cup in 2022 in Qatar, with Lionel Messi leading the way. Messi will now look to win back-to-back World Cups to cement himself as the greatest player the game has ever seen.
How many teams have won back-to-back World Cups?
Only two nations in history have won back-to-back World Cups. Italy did it in 1934 and 1938, the second and third editions of the tournament. Brazil then won back-to-back World Cups led by the great Pele in 1958 and 1962.
For Argentina, this is a chance to join those nations in World Cup history. It is especially important as their South American rivals in Brazil still hold those bragging rights over them.
