🇦🇷 Argentina

Scaloni typically deploys a 4-3-3 that compresses into a 4-2-3-1 in possession. Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández sit as the double pivot, recycling the ball and protecting the defence, while Rodrigo De Paul drives forward as the box-to-box presence. Messi drifts inside from the right, creating space for Nahuel Molina to overlap. The press is selective rather than high-intensity, designed to force turnovers in the middle third.

Watch Lionel Messi for the moments that defy description — a disguised through-ball, a free-kick that bends the wrong way, a dribble that makes defenders look stationary. Julián Álvarez is the relentless counter-weight: a tireless, physical forward who scored four goals at Qatar 2022 and never stops pressing. Alexis Mac Allister is the engine underneath them, a Liverpool midfielder whose composure and vertical passing keep Argentina's shape coherent under pressure.

Emiliano Martínez is one of the world's best penalty-saving goalkeepers, a decisive edge in knockout rounds. The partnership of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez at centre-back is aggressive and ball-playing. And no team in the world has a player capable of the individual match-winning moments Messi still produces.

Messi is 38 by the time the tournament begins and playing MLS football at Inter Miami — his physical availability across seven games is a genuine question. The full-back positions, particularly Nicolás Tagliafico at left-back, can be exposed by pace in transition. Depth in central midfield beyond the first-choice trio is thin if injuries strike.