Argentina at the FIFA World Cup

This is a record of Argentina's results at the FIFA World Cup. Argentina is one of the most successful teams in the tournament's history, having won three World Cups: in 1978, 1986, and 2022. Argentina has also been runner-up three times: in 1930, 1990 and 2014. In 18 World Cup tournaments, Argentina has 47 victories in 88 matches. The team was present in all but four of the World Cups, being behind only Brazil and Germany in number of appearances.

Argentina celebrating their victory in the 1986 FIFA World Cup final in Mexico

World Cup record

edit
FIFA World Cup finals record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
  1930 Runners-up 2nd 5 4 0 1 18 9 Invited
  1934 Round of 16 9th 1 0 0 1 2 3 Qualified by opponent's withdrawal[1]
  1938 Withdrew Withdrew due to hosting disagreement[2]
  1950
  1954 Withdrew due to political decision[2]
  1958 Group stage 13th 3 1 0 2 5 10 4 3 0 1 10 2
  1962 10th 3 1 1 1 2 3 2 2 0 0 11 3
  1966 Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 1 1 4 2 4 3 1 0 9 2
  1970 did not qualify 4 1 1 2 4 6
  1974 Second group stage 8th 6 1 2 3 9 12 4 3 1 0 9 2
  1978 Champions 1st 7 5 1 1 15 4 Qualified as hosts
  1982 Second group stage 11th 5 2 0 3 8 7 Qualified as defending champions
  1986 Champions 1st 7 6 1 0 14 5 6 4 1 1 12 6
  1990 Runners-up 2nd 7 2 3 2 5 4 Qualified as defending champions
  1994 Round of 16 10th 4 2 0 2 8 6 8 4 2 2 9 10
  1998 Quarter-finals 6th 5 3 1 1 10 4 16 8 6 2 23 13
   2002 Group stage 18th 3 1 1 1 2 2 18 13 4 1 42 15
  2006 Quarter-finals 6th 5 3 2 0 11 3 18 10 4 4 29 17
  2010 5th 5 4 0 1 10 6 18 8 4 6 23 20
  2014 Runners-up 2nd 7 5 1 1 8 4 16 9 5 2 35 15
  2018 Round of 16 16th 4 1 1 2 6 9 18 7 7 4 19 16
  2022 Champions 1st 7 4 2 1 15 8 17 11 6 0 27 8
      2026 To be determined To be determined
      2030 Qualified as centenary co-hosts Qualified as centenary co-hosts
  2034 To be determined To be determined
Total 3 titles 18/22 88 47 17 24 152 101 153 86 42 25 262 135
**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

World Cup Finals

edit
Year Manager(s) Captain Goal Scorer(s)
1930 Francisco Olazar / Juan José Tramutola Manuel Ferreira Carlos Peucelle, Guillermo Stábile
1978 César Luis Menotti Daniel Passarella Mario Kempes (2), Daniel Bertoni
1986 Carlos Bilardo Diego Maradona José Luis Brown, Jorge Valdano, Jorge Burruchaga
1990 Carlos Bilardo Diego Maradona
2014 Alejandro Sabella Lionel Messi
2022 Lionel Scaloni Lionel Messi Lionel Messi (2), Ángel Di María

All matches

edit
World Cup Round Opponent Score Venue Argentina scorers
1930 Group 1   France 1–0 Parque Central, Montevideo Monti
  Mexico 6–3 Centenario, Montevideo Stábile (3), Zumelzú (2), Varallo
  Chile 3–1 Centenario, Montevideo Stábile (2), Evaristo
Semi-finals   United States 6–1 Centenario, Montevideo Monti, Scopelli, Stábile (2), Peucelle (2)
Final   Uruguay 2–4 Centenario, Montevideo Peucelle, Stábile
1934 Round of 16   Sweden 2–3 Stadio Littoriale, Bologna Belis, Galateo
1958 Group A   West Germany 1–3 Malmö Stadion, Malmö Corbatta
  Northern Ireland 3–1 Örjans Vall, Halmstad Corbatta, Menéndez, Avio
  Czechoslovakia 1–6 Olympiastadion, Helsingborg Corbatta
1962 Group D   Bulgaria 1–0 El Teniente, Rancagua Facundo
  England 1–3 El Teniente, Rancagua Sanfilippo
  Hungary 0–0 El Teniente, Rancagua
1966 Group B   Spain 2–1 Villa Park, Birmingham Artime (2)
  West Germany 0–0 Villa Park, Birmingham
   Switzerland 2–0 Hillsborough, Sheffield Artime, Onega
Quarter-finals   England 0–1 Wembley, London
1974 Group 4   Poland 2–3 Neckarstadion, Stuttgart Heredia, Babington
  Italy 1–1 Neckarstadion, Stuttgart Houseman
  Haiti 4–1 Olympiastadion, Munich Yazalde (2), Houseman, Ayala
Group A   Netherlands 0–4 Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen
  Brazil 1–2 Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover Brindisi
  East Germany 1–1 Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen Houseman
1978 Group 1   Hungary 2–1 Monumental, Buenos Aires Luque, Bertoni
  France 2–1 Monumental, Buenos Aires Passarella, Luque
  Italy 0–1 Monumental, Buenos Aires
Group A   Poland 2–0 Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario Kempes (2)
  Brazil 0–0 Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario
  Peru 6–0 Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario Kempes (2), Tarantini, Luque (2), Houseman
Final   Netherlands 3–1 (a.e.t.) Monumental, Buenos Aires Kempes (2), Bertoni
1982 Group 3   Belgium 0–1 Camp Nou, Barcelona
  Hungary 4–1 José Rico Pérez, Alicante Bertoni, Maradona (2), Ardiles
  El Salvador 2–0 José Rico Pérez, Alicante Passarella, Bertoni
Group C   Italy 1–2 Sarrià, Barcelona Passarella
  Brazil 1–3 Sarrià, Barcelona Díaz
1986 Group A   South Korea 3–1 Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City Valdano (2), Ruggeri
  Italy 1–1 Cuauhtémoc, Puebla Maradona
  Bulgaria 2–0 Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City Valdano, Burruchaga
Round of 16   Uruguay 1–0 Cuauhtémoc, Puebla Pasculli
Quarter-finals   England 2–1 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Maradona (2)
Semi-finals   Belgium 2–0 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Maradona (2)
Final   West Germany 3–2 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Brown, Valdano, Burruchaga
1990 Group B   Cameroon 0–1 San Siro, Milan
  Soviet Union 2–0 San Paolo, Naples Troglio, Burruchaga
  Romania 1–1 San Paolo, Naples Monzón
Round of 16   Brazil 1–0 Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin Caniggia
Quarter-finals   Yugoslavia 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 p)
Artemio Franchi, Florence
Semi-finals   Italy 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
San Paolo, Naples Caniggia
Final   West Germany 0–1 Olimpico, Rome
1994 Group D   Greece 4–0 Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough Batistuta (3), Maradona
  Nigeria 2–1 Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough Caniggia (2)
  Bulgaria 0–2 Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Round of 16   Romania 2–3 Rose Bowl, Pasadena Batistuta, Balbo
1998 Group H   Japan 1–0 Stadium Municipal, Toulouse Batistuta
  Jamaica 5–0 Parc des Princes, Paris Ortega (2), Batistuta (3)
  Croatia 1–0 Parc Lescure, Bordeaux Pineda
Round of 16   England 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne Batistuta, Zanetti
Quarter-finals   Netherlands 1–2 Vélodrome, Marseille López[note 1]
2002 Group F   Nigeria 1–0 Kashima, Ibaraki prefecture Batistuta
  England 0–1 Sapporo Dome, Sapporo
  Sweden 1–1 Miyagi, Rifu Crespo
2006 Group C   Ivory Coast 2–1 Volksparkstadion, Hamburg Crespo, Saviola
  Serbia and Montenegro 6–0 Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen Rodríguez (2), Cambiasso, Crespo, Tevez, Messi
  Netherlands 0–0 Waldstadion, Frankfurt
Round of 16   Mexico 2–1 (a.e.t.) Zentralstadion, Leipzig Crespo, Rodríguez
Quarter-finals   Germany 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(2–4 p)
Olympiastadion, Berlin Ayala
2010 Group B   Nigeria 1–0 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Heinze
  South Korea 4–1 Soccer City, Johannesburg Park (o.g.), Higuaín (3)
  Greece 2–0 Peter Mokaba, Polokwane Demichelis, Palermo
Round of 16   Mexico 3–1 Soccer City, Johannesburg Tevez (2), Higuaín
Quarter-finals   Germany 0–4 Green Point, Cape Town
2014 Group F   Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–1 Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro Kolašinac (o.g.), Messi
  Iran 1–0 Mineirão, Belo Horizonte Messi
  Nigeria 3–2 Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre Messi (2), Rojo
Round of 16    Switzerland 1–0 (a.e.t.) Arena Corinthians, São Paulo Di María
Quarter-finals   Belgium 1–0 Estádio Nacional, Brasilia Higuaín
Semi-finals   Netherlands 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)
Arena Corinthians, São Paulo
Final   Germany 0–1 (a.e.t.) Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
2018 Group D   Iceland 1–1 Spartak Stadium, Moscow Agüero
  Croatia 0–3 Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
  Nigeria 2–1 Zenit Arena, Saint Petersburg Messi, Rojo
Round of 16   France 3–4 Kazan Arena, Kazan Di María, Mercado, Agüero
2022 Group C   Saudi Arabia 1–2 Lusail Stadium, Lusail Messi
  Mexico 2–0 Lusail Stadium, Lusail Messi, Fernández
  Poland 2–0 Stadium 974, Doha Mac Allister, Álvarez
Round of 16   Australia 2–1 Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan Messi, Álvarez
Quarter-finals   Netherlands 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
Lusail Stadium, Lusail Molina, Messi
Semi-finals   Croatia 3–0 Lusail Stadium, Lusail Messi, Álvarez (2)
Final   France 3–3 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)
Lusail Stadium, Lusail Messi (2), Di María

World Cup Finals

edit

The inaugural FIFA World Cup tournament culminated with Argentina facing hosts and current Olympic champions Uruguay. The match was turned twice: Argentina went into half-time with a 2–1 lead in spite of an early goal for Uruguay, but the hosts ultimately won 4–2. Guillermo Stábile, one of Argentina's scorers, became the tournament's top striker with 8 goals total.

Uruguay  4–2  Argentina
Dorado   12'
Cea   57'[3]
Iriarte   68'
Castro   89'
Report Peucelle   20'
Stábile   37'[3]
Attendance: 68,346
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Uruguay
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Argentina
GK Enrique Ballestrero
RB José Nasazzi (c)
LB Ernesto Mascheroni
RH José Andrade
CH Lorenzo Fernández
LH Álvaro Gestido
OR Pablo Dorado
IR Héctor Scarone
CF Héctor Castro
IL Pedro Cea
OL Santos Iriarte
Manager:
Alberto Suppici
 
GK Juan Botasso
RB José Della Torre
LB Fernando Paternoster
RH Juan Evaristo
CH Luis Monti
LH Pedro Suárez
OR Carlos Peucelle
IR Francisco Varallo
CF Guillermo Stábile
IL Manuel Ferreira (c)
OL Mario Evaristo
Managers:
Francisco Olazar
Juan José Tramutola

Argentina hosted the 1978 edition of the World Cup and reached the final. The Netherlands had already played the previous final in West Germany 1974 - and also lost to the hosts.

Diego Maradona was 17 years old at this point and already a star in his home country, but did not make the squad as coach César Luis Menotti felt he was too inexperienced to handle the pressure of this major tournament. The playmaker position was instead filled by Mario Kempes, who ended up becoming the first Argentinian to win the Golden Ball in addition to being the tournament's top scorer with 6 goals.

The Dutch side was missing a superstar of their own: Johan Cruyff did not join the 1978 World Cup squads due to the aftermath of a kidnapping attempt which occurred in 1977. He only disclosed this information 30 years later.

The closely contested match was influenced by a hostile atmosphere and ended with the Dutch players refusing to attend the award ceremony after Argentina grabbed the title in extra time.

Argentina  3–1 (a.e.t.)  Netherlands
Kempes   38', 105'
Bertoni   115'
Report Nanninga   82'
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Argentina
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Netherlands
GK 5 Ubaldo Fillol
RB 15 Jorge Olguín
CB 7 Luis Galván
CB 19 Daniel Passarella (c)
LB 20 Alberto Tarantini
DM 6 Américo Gallego
CM 2 Osvaldo Ardiles   40'   66'
AM 10 Mario Kempes
RW 4 Daniel Bertoni
LW 16 Oscar Alberto Ortiz   75'
CF 14 Leopoldo Luque
Substitutes:
MF 1 Norberto Alonso
GK 3 Héctor Baley
MF 8 Rubén Galván
MF 9 René Houseman   75'
MF 12 Omar Larrosa   93'   66'
Manager:
César Luis Menotti
 
GK 8 Jan Jongbloed
SW 5 Ruud Krol (c)   15'
RB 6 Wim Jansen   75'
CB 22 Ernie Brandts
LB 2 Jan Poortvliet   96'
RM 13 Johan Neeskens
CM 9 Arie Haan
LM 11 Willy van de Kerkhof
RF 10 René van de Kerkhof
CF 16 Johnny Rep   58'
LF 12 Rob Rensenbrink
Substitutes:
DF 4 Adrie van Kraay
DF 17 Wim Rijsbergen
FW 18 Dick Nanninga   58'
GK 19 Pim Doesburg
DF 20 Wim Suurbier   94'   75'
Manager:
  Ernst Happel

Eight years after the victory on home soil, Argentina won the World Cup title for the second time. Diego Maradona was voted Best Player of the tournament after scoring five goals and assisting the decisive 3-2 by Jorge Burruchaga in the 84th minute of the final. The match was played in front of a record attendance of 114,600 people.

Argentina  3–2  West Germany
Brown   23'
Valdano   56'
Burruchaga   84'
Report Rummenigge   74'
Völler   81'
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Argentina
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
West Germany
GK 18 Nery Pumpido   85'
SW 5 José Luis Brown
CB 9 José Luis Cuciuffo
CB 19 Oscar Ruggeri
RWB 14 Ricardo Giusti
LWB 16 Julio Olarticoechea   77'
DM 2 Sergio Batista
CM 7 Jorge Burruchaga   90'
CM 12 Héctor Enrique   81'
SS 10 Diego Maradona (c)   17'
CF 11 Jorge Valdano
Substitutions:
MF 21 Marcelo Trobbiani   90'
Manager:
Carlos Bilardo
 
GK 1 Harald Schumacher
SW 17 Ditmar Jakobs
CB 4 Karlheinz Förster
CB 2 Hans-Peter Briegel   62'
RWB 14 Thomas Berthold
LWB 3 Andreas Brehme
CM 6 Norbert Eder
CM 8 Lothar Matthäus   21'
AM 10 Felix Magath   62'
CF 11 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (c)
CF 19 Klaus Allofs   46'
Substitutions:
FW 9 Rudi Völler   46'
FW 20 Dieter Hoeneß   62'
Manager:
Franz Beckenbauer

In 1990, Argentina faced West Germany in a repeat of the 1986 edition. Pedro Monzón became the first player ever to be sent off in a World Cup final, but was later joined by teammate Gustavo Dezotti. The match was decided by a penalty kick in favour of Germany.

West Germany  1–0  Argentina
Brehme   85' (pen.) Report
Attendance: 73,603
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
West Germany
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Argentina
GK 1 Bodo Illgner
SW 5 Klaus Augenthaler
CB 6 Guido Buchwald
CB 4 Jürgen Kohler
RWB 14 Thomas Berthold   73'
LWB 3 Andreas Brehme
CM 8 Thomas Häßler
CM 10 Lothar Matthäus (c)
CM 7 Pierre Littbarski
CF 9 Rudi Völler   52'
CF 18 Jürgen Klinsmann
Substitutes:
GK 12 Raimond Aumann
DF 2 Stefan Reuter   73'
MF 15 Uwe Bein
MF 20 Olaf Thon
FW 13 Karl-Heinz Riedle
Manager:
Franz Beckenbauer
 
GK 12 Sergio Goycochea
SW 20 Juan Simón
CB 18 José Serrizuela
CB 19 Oscar Ruggeri   46'
RWB 4 José Basualdo
LWB 17 Roberto Sensini
DM 13 Néstor Lorenzo
CM 7 Jorge Burruchaga   53'
CM 21 Pedro Troglio   84'
SS 10 Diego Maradona (c)   87'
CF 9 Gustavo Dezotti   5'   87'
Substitutes:
GK 22 Fabián Cancelarich
DF 5 Edgardo Bauza
DF 15 Pedro Monzón   65'   46'
MF 6 Gabriel Calderón   53'
FW 3 Abel Balbo
Manager:
Carlos Bilardo

In 2014, Argentina reached the final for the fifth time and for a third time had to face the German team, making it the most recurrent meeting for a final. In spite of a number of chances on both sides, regular time finished goalless. In the second half of extra time, substitute striker Mario Götze scored the decisive goal for Germany.

Germany  1–0 (a.e.t.)  Argentina
Report
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Germany
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Argentina
GK 1 Manuel Neuer
RB 16 Philipp Lahm (c)
CB 20 Jérôme Boateng
CB 5 Mats Hummels
LB 4 Benedikt Höwedes   34'
CM 23 Christoph Kramer   31'
CM 7 Bastian Schweinsteiger   29'
RW 13 Thomas Müller
AM 18 Toni Kroos
LW 8 Mesut Özil   120'
CF 11 Miroslav Klose   88'
Substitutions:
FW 9 André Schürrle   31'
MF 19 Mario Götze   88'
DF 17 Per Mertesacker   120'
Manager:
Joachim Löw
 
GK 1 Sergio Romero
RB 4 Pablo Zabaleta
CB 15 Martín Demichelis
CB 2 Ezequiel Garay
LB 16 Marcos Rojo
CM 14 Javier Mascherano   64'
CM 6 Lucas Biglia
RW 8 Enzo Pérez   86'
LW 22 Ezequiel Lavezzi   46'
SS 10 Lionel Messi (c)
CF 9 Gonzalo Higuaín   78'
Substitutions:
FW 20 Sergio Agüero   65'   46'
FW 18 Rodrigo Palacio   78'
MF 5 Fernando Gago   86'
Manager:
Alejandro Sabella

Argentina opened up the scoring when Messi scored a penalty kick, and doubled their lead with a Di Maria goal in the 36th minute.[4] France made two substitutions in the first half, but went into half-time trailing 0–2.[5] Despite not having a shot until after the 80th minute, France were awarded a penalty as Randal Kolo Muani was brought down in the penalty area. Mbappé scored the penalty, and added a second goal less than two minutes later to equalise the scores.[5] With the scores tied, the match went to extra time. Messi scored again for Argentina in the second extra time half. Mbappé was awarded a second penalty in the 118th minute after his initial shot hit the arm of Gonzalo Montiel. Mbappé scored his third goal, becoming the second player to score a hat-trick in the final of a men's World Cup.[5] With the scores tied at 3–3, the match was completed by a penalty shootout. Argentina won the final after scoring all of their penalties, winning 4–2.[5]

Argentina  3–3 (a.e.t.)  France
Report
Penalties
4–2
Attendance: 88,966


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Argentina
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
France
GK 23 Emiliano Martínez   120+5'
RB 26 Nahuel Molina   91'
CB 13 Cristian Romero
CB 19 Nicolás Otamendi
LB 3 Nicolás Tagliafico   120+1'
DM 24 Enzo Fernández   45+7'
CM 7 Rodrigo De Paul   102'
CM 20 Alexis Mac Allister   116'
RF 10 Lionel Messi (c)
CF 9 Julián Álvarez   102'
LF 11 Ángel Di María   64'
Substitutions:
MF 8 Marcos Acuña   90+8'   64'
DF 4 Gonzalo Montiel   116'   91'
MF 5 Leandro Paredes   114'   102'
FW 22 Lautaro Martínez   102'
DF 6 Germán Pezzella   116'
FW 21 Paulo Dybala   120+1'
Manager:
Lionel Scaloni
 
GK 1 Hugo Lloris (c)
RB 5 Jules Koundé   120+1'
CB 4 Raphaël Varane   113'
CB 18 Dayot Upamecano
LB 22 Théo Hernandez   71'
CM 8 Aurélien Tchouaméni
CM 14 Adrien Rabiot   55'   96'
RW 11 Ousmane Dembélé   41'
AM 7 Antoine Griezmann   71'
LW 10 Kylian Mbappé
CF 9 Olivier Giroud   90+5'   41'
Substitutions:
FW 12 Randal Kolo Muani   41'
FW 26 Marcus Thuram   87'   41'
FW 20 Kingsley Coman   71'
MF 25 Eduardo Camavinga   71'
MF 13 Youssouf Fofana   96'
DF 24 Ibrahima Konaté   113'
DF 3 Axel Disasi   120+1'
Manager:
Didier Deschamps

Record by opponent

edit

Argentina have played a total of 88 FIFA World Cup games through 18 tournaments, facing 39 rivals.

FIFA World Cup matches (by team)
Opponent Pld W D L GF GA GD Confederation
  France 4 2 1 1 9 8 1 UEFA
  Mexico 4 4 0 0 13 5 8 CONCACAF
  Chile 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 CONMEBOL
  United States 1 1 0 0 6 1 5 CONCACAF
  Uruguay 2 1 0 1 3 4 −1 CONMEBOL
  Sweden 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1 UEFA
  Germany 7 1 2 4 5 12 −7 UEFA
  Northern Ireland 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 UEFA
  Czechoslovakia 1 0 0 1 1 6 -5 UEFA
  Bulgaria 3 2 0 1 3 2 1 UEFA
  England 5 1 1 3 5 8 −3 UEFA
  Hungary 3 2 1 0 6 2 4 UEFA
  Spain 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 UEFA
   Switzerland 2 2 0 0 3 0 3 UEFA
  Poland 3 2 0 1 6 3 3 UEFA
  Italy 5 0 3 2 4 6 −2 UEFA
  Haiti 1 1 0 0 4 1 3 CONCACAF
  Netherlands 6 2 3 2 6 9 −3 UEFA
  Brazil 4 1 1 2 3 5 −2 CONMEBOL
  East Germany* 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 UEFA
  Peru 1 1 0 0 6 0 6 CONMEBOL
  Belgium 3 2 0 1 3 1 2 UEFA
  El Salvador 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 CONCACAF
  South Korea 2 2 0 0 7 2 5 AFC
  Cameroon 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 CAF
  Soviet Union* 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 UEFA
  Romania 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1 UEFA
  Serbia+ 2 1 1 0 6 0 6 UEFA
  Greece 2 2 0 0 6 0 6 UEFA
  Nigeria 5 5 0 0 9 4 5 CAF
  Japan 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 AFC
  Jamaica 1 1 0 0 5 0 5 CONCACAF
  Croatia 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 UEFA
  Ivory Coast 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 CAF
  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 UEFA
  Iran 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 AFC
  Iceland 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 UEFA
  Saudi Arabia 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 AFC
  Australia 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 AFC

Teams in bold denote world cup winners, teams in italics show teams which played its first match ever in a World Cup against Argentina.
Teams with a * mark no longer exist. East Germany was annexed to Germany. Soviet Union now plays as Russia.
+Played as Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro.

Head coaches

edit

Through Argentinian team history, several coaches had trained it with different football styles from offensive to defensive tactics. There are two predominant 'football schools' about world champions coaches César Menotti who propagates possession and well-look play and Carlos Bilardo who prioritize results and tactical order. These head coaches divides Argentine fans kindly.[6] Other managers such as Marcelo Bielsa has got his own football style. In another way this list shows records in World Cups and in qualifying stages excluding friendlies.

By tournament At FIFA World Cup In qualification Total
Coach Years Pld W D L W % Pts % Pld W D L W % Pts % Pld W D L W % Pts %
Olazar and Tramutola   1930 5 4 0 1 80% 80% Not played 5 4 0 1 80% 80%
Felipe Pascucci   1934 1 0 0 1 0% 0% Not played 1 0 0 1 0% 0%
Guillermo Stábile   1958 3 1 0 2 33.3% 33.3% 4 3 0 1 75% 75% 9 6 0 3 66.6% 66.6%
  1962 He did not manage this Cup 2 2 0 0 100% 100%
Juan Carlos Lorenzo   1962 3 1 1 1 33.3% 50% He did not manage these qualifiers 7 3 2 2 42.9% 57.1%
  1966 4 2 1 1 50% 62.5%
José María Minella   1966 He did not manage this Cup 4 3 1 0 75% 87.5% 4 3 1 0 75% 87.5%
Adolfo Pedernera   1970 did not qualify 4 1 1 2 25% 37.5% 4 1 1 2 25% 37.5%
Omar Sívori   1974 He did not manage this Cup 4 3 1 0 75% 87.5% 4 3 1 0 75% 87.5%
Vladislao Cap   1974 6 1 2 3 16.7% 33.3% He did not manage these qualifiers 6 1 2 3 16.7% 33.3%
César Menotti   1978 7 5 1 1 71.4% 78.6% Qualified as hosts 12 7 1 4 58.3% 62.5%
  1982 5 2 0 3 40% 40% Qualified as defending champions
Carlos Bilardo   1986 7 6 1 0 85.7% 92.9% 6 4 1 1 66.7% 75% 20 14 3 3 70% 75%
  1990 7 4 1 2 57.1% 61.9% Qualified as defending champions
Alfio Basile   1994 4 2 0 2 50% 50% 8 4 2 2 50% 62.5% 12 6 2 4 42.9% 52.4%
  2010 He did not manage this Cup 10 4 4 2 40% 53.3%
Daniel Passarella   1998 5 3 1 1 80% 80% 16 8 6 2 50% 62.5% 21 12 6 3 57.1% 66.6%
Marcelo Bielsa    2002 3 1 1 1 33.3% 44.4% 18 13 4 1 72.2% 79.6% 18 13 4 1 66.7% 74.6%
José Pekerman   2006 5 3 2 0 60% 73.3% 18 10 4 4 55.5% 62.9% 23 13 5 5 56.5% 63.7%
Diego Maradona   2010 5 4 0 1 80% 80% 8 4 0 4 50% 50% 13 8 0 5 61.5% 61.2%
Alejandro Sabella   2014 7 6 0 1 85.7% 85.7% 16 10 4 2 62.5% 70.8% 23 16 4 3 69.5% 75.3%
Gerardo Martino   2018 He did not manage this Cup 6 3 2 1 50% 61.1% 6 3 2 1 50% 61.1%
Edgardo Bauza   2018 He did not manage this Cup 8 3 2 3 37.5% 45.8% 8 3 2 3 37.5% 45.8%
Jorge Sampaoli   2018 4 1 1 2 25% 33.3% 4 1 3 0 25% 50% 8 2 4 2 25% 41.7%
Lionel Scaloni   2022 7 4 2 1 57.1% 66.7% 17 11 6 0 64.7% 76.5% 24 15 8 1 62.5% 73.6%

From 1994 towards, three points are given for a win. Previously were two.

Against conferences

edit

FIFA delegates regional qualification and other organization affairs to continental conferences, so it divides into six differents of them grouped by geographical location. Argentina plays in CONMEBOL conference in South America. Due to World Cup rules that two teams of same confederation can not play in the same group in first round except for UEFA, it commonly faces teams which plays outside its continent most recently from Africa and Asia. Argentine national has never played versus an Oceanian (OFC) squad.

FIFA World Cup matches (by conference)
Confederation Pld W D L GF GA GD % of pts % of wins
UEFA 55 26 8 21 74 68 6 52.12% 47.27%
CONMEBOL 8 4 1 3 15 10 5 54.16% 50%
CONCACAF 7 7 0 0 28 7 21 100% 100%
CAF 7 6 0 1 11 6 5 85.71% 85.71%
AFC 5 4 0 1 10 4 6 80% 80%

Against debutants

edit

'Albiceleste' has played against first-world-cup teams more than other, doing so 17 times, 7 of them being the first World Cup match ever. This list shows records versus those selections including all-debutants 1930 edition. Curiously, Argentina's debut was versus France which previously had played before.

Opponent Pld W D L GF GA GD
Debutants 7 5 1 1 13 6 7
Teams in 1st their WC 17 13 2 2 45 18 27

Sweden, Bulgaria, Greece, Japan, Ivory Coast, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland played its first time against Argentina.
France, Mexico, Chile, United States, Uruguay, Northern Ireland, Haiti, East Germany, Jamaica and Croatia played in its first world cup but after first game.

Records and statistics

edit

Most appearances

edit

Lionel Messi has captained the team in 19 matches. Lionel Messi's total of 26 matches is a record for the side and the most for a player at the FIFA World Cup.

Rank Player Matches World Cups
1 Lionel Messi 26 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022
2 Diego Maradona 21 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994
3 Javier Mascherano 20 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018
4 Mario Kempes 18 1974, 1978 and 1982
5 Ángel Di María 17 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022
6 Oscar Ruggeri 16 1986, 1990 and 1994
7
Jorge Burruchaga 14 1986 and 1990
Gonzalo Higuaín 14 2010, 2014 and 2018
9 Ubaldo Fillol 13 1974, 1978 and 1982

Top goalscorers

edit
Rank Player Goals World Cups
1 Lionel Messi 13 2006 (1), 2014 (4), 2018 (1) and 2022 (7)
2 Gabriel Batistuta 10 1994 (4), 1998 (5) and 2002 (1)
3 Guillermo Stábile 8 1930
Diego Maradona 8 1982 (2), 1986 (5) and 1994 (1)
5 Mario Kempes 6 1978
6 Gonzalo Higuaín 5 2010 (4) and 2014 (1)
7 Seven players 4

Goalscoring by tournament

edit
World Cup Goalscorer(s)
1930 Guillermo Stábile (8), Carlos Peucelle (3), Luis Monti (2), Adolfo Zumelzú (2), Mario Evaristo, Alejandro Scopelli, Francisco Varallo
1934 Ernesto Belis, Alberto Galateo
1958 Omar Oreste Corbatta (3), Ludovico Avio, Norberto Menéndez
1962 Héctor Facundo, José Sanfilippo
1966 Luis Artime (3), Ermindo Onega
1974 René Houseman (3), Héctor Yazalde (2), Rubén Ayala, Carlos Babington, Miguel Ángel Brindisi, Ramón Heredia
1978 Mario Kempes (6), Leopoldo Luque (4), Daniel Bertoni (2), René Houseman, Daniel Passarella, Alberto Tarantini
1982 Daniel Bertoni (2), Diego Maradona (2), Daniel Passarella (2), Osvaldo Ardiles, Ramón Díaz
1986 Diego Maradona (5), Jorge Valdano (4), Jorge Burruchaga (2), José Luis Brown, Pedro Pasculli, Oscar Ruggeri
1990 Claudio Caniggia (2), Jorge Burruchaga, Pedro Monzón, Pedro Troglio
1994 Gabriel Batistuta (4), Claudio Caniggia (2), Abel Balbo, Diego Maradona
1998 Gabriel Batistuta (5), Ariel Ortega (2), Claudio López, Mauricio Pineda, Javier Zanetti
2002 Gabriel Batistuta, Hernán Crespo
2006 Hernán Crespo (3), Maxi Rodríguez (3), Roberto Ayala, Esteban Cambiasso, Lionel Messi, Javier Saviola, Carlos Tevez
2010 Gonzalo Higuaín (4), Carlos Tevez (2), Martin Demichelis, Gabriel Heinze, Martin Palermo, Own Goal
2014 Lionel Messi (4), Ángel Di María, Gonzalo Higuaín, Marcos Rojo, Own Goal
2018 Sergio Agüero (2), Lionel Messi, Marcos Rojo, Ángel Di María, Gabriel Mercado
2022 Lionel Messi (7), Julián Álvarez (4), Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Nahuel Molina, Ángel Di María

Awards

edit

Team

edit
  • World Champions 1978
  • World Champions 1986
  • World Champions 2022
  • 2nd Place 1930
  • 2nd Place 1990
  • 2nd Place 2014
  • Fair Play Award 1978

Individual

edit

Standing alone

edit
  • Most played final against the same team: 3 times versus Germany in 1986, 1990 and 2014.
  • Most played against the same team in same stage: 5 times versus Nigeria in 1994, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018 all in group stage. Last three of them make most times consecutive, too. All won by Argentina by one goal difference.
  • Most played semifinals without losses: 6 times won in 1930, 1986 and 2022 while drawn in 1990 and 2014. Although in 1978 there weren't semifinals, Argentina won second round group ahead of Brazil which disputed 3rd place match against Italy. Even more, game against Brazil ended in a 0–0 draw.
  • Most played penalty shoot-outs: 7 (twice in 1990, 1998, 2006, 2014 and twice in 2022).
  • Fewest goals for a finalist: 1990 (5).
  • Youngest coach: Juan José Tramutola aged 27 years and 267 days in 1930.[7][8]
  • Most hat-tricks scored in multiple editions: Gabriel Batistuta in 1994 against Greece and in 1998 against Jamaica.[9]

Shared

edit

Miscellaneous

edit

Argentina's game versus West Germany in 1958 featured a yellow jersey instead of the traditional light blue and white colors or blue as alternate. This was because both teams wore white jerseys, creating confusion. As the South American side forgot to bring an alternate one, they decided to borrow jerseys from local team club Malmö. Germany won 3–1.[11][12]

In the 1978 France - Hungary match something similar occurred. Both teams arrived to the match with white jerseys, so France was forced to borrow jerseys from Mar del Plata's local club Kimberley. France wore striped green and white keeping the traditional blue shorts and red socks. France won 3–1.[13][14]

The stadium José María Minella is the southernmost World Cup venue located at 38°0′0″S 57°33′0″W / 38.00000°S 57.55000°W / -38.00000; -57.55000. Including France vs. Hungary, several matches of the 1978 World Cup were played in this stadium. Mar del Plata is in the south of Buenos Aires Province.[15]

Referees

edit

As a major CONMEBOL member, Argentina has been represented by match officials in nearly every tournament. In 2006, Horacio Elizondo refereed the final between France and Italy, where he sent off Zinedine Zidane after a headbutt to an opponent. In 2018, Néstor Pitana did it when France played versus Croatia. They are also the only two who refereed the opening game in the same tournament.

See also

edit
edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Argentina's 100th WC goal

References

edit
  1. ^ "1934 Qualy". RSSSF.
  2. ^ a b "Whitdraw decisions" (in Spanish). Diario Ovación.
  3. ^ a b This is one of several goals for which the statistical details are disputed. The goalscorers and timings used here are those of FIFA, the official record. Some other sources, such as RSSSF, state a different scorer and/or timing. See "World Cup 1930 finals". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2008..
  4. ^ "2022 World Cup final: Argentina 3-3 France (aet, 4-2 on pens) – as it happened". the Guardian. December 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d "Argentina wins World Cup on penalty kicks over France: Live updates". NBC News.
  6. ^ "Football school of play". Diario Clarín.
  7. ^ "Youngest coach". fifa.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "27 years". fifa.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018.
  9. ^ "hat-trick". fifa.com.
  10. ^ "two finals". fifa.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015.
  11. ^ "Argentina Yellow". El Gráfico.
  12. ^ "1958 coin toss". En una baldosa.
  13. ^ "Kimberley". pinimg.com.
  14. ^ "France-Hungary". www.squadnumbers.com.
  15. ^ "José María Minella". RSSSF.