With the original team, can Argentina defend the World Cup title?

After the 2018 World Cup, Scaloni took over the coaching staff of the Argentina team. At that time, he did not have any senior coaching experience. The main reason why he was selected was that he was cheap and no one was optimistic about how long he could stay.

But Scaloni surprised people with his actual actions. Argentina won two consecutive America's Cup championships and the 2022 World Cup championship, and he became famous in one fell swoop.

The secret of Scaloni's success is that he finally allowed Messi to find his best form in the national team. Whether on or off the field, Messi has become the leader of the team, surrounded by his "fans".

In next year's World Cup, Argentina will compete as the defending champion. Winning two World Cups in a row is a difficult task. Italy did it in the 1930s, and Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. Is it possible for Argentina to successfully defend its title?

In 2026, Messi will be 39 years old and whether he will participate in the World Cup has not yet been determined.

But what is certain is that even if Messi participates in the World Cup, the 2026 version of Argentina will no longer be the "Messi Show".

In the World Cup qualifiers, Argentina easily passed and eventually advanced with a 9-point lead over the second place. In the 18 rounds of games, Messi only started 10 games and came off the bench twice.

Messi is still the team's top scorer, but unlike previous years, Argentina did not suffer much when he was absent.

In terms of offense, the outside world has high hopes for Ganaccio, but his development has not yet met expectations and is not enough to join the starting lineup. At the same time, Argentina’s defense has problems that cannot be ignored.

In the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup, Argentina's defense repeatedly collapsed under pressure, almost costing them victory in games against Australia, the Netherlands and France.

Currently, Argentina has not yet seen a new world-class defender. This defensive line is essentially the same team as that time, and the 38-year-old Otamendi will still have a place.

However, because he received a red card and was suspended in the last qualifying match, he will miss the first game of the World Cup. It is expected that Bournemouth's Senesi will get a chance and he may become Argentina's first choice at left centre-back.

Argentina's defense problem may become a bottleneck restricting the defense of the title. But if they can maintain smooth conduction and the tacit cooperation between Messi and the younger stars, they may still be able to successfully defend the title. What do you think?

Argentina's possible starting lineup for the 2026 World Cup: Martinez, Tagliafico, Otamendi, Romero, Molina, Enzo, De Paul, McAllister, Alvarez, Lautaro, Messi.