“Scaloneta” (Scaloni’s way of calling the Argentine team) retains the championship frame of the past two major tournaments. There are only 2 additions, both 19 years old and inclined to attack, Alejandro Garnacho (Man Utd) and Valentin Carboni (owned by Inter, on loan at Monza. Messi defines Carboni as “present and future” .
Maintain motivation and morale
Scaloni kept the squad very similar to Qatar 2022. Instead, he created competition and maintained a solid winning spirit for the team. This factor is shown through recent positive results.
After 6 qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in South America, “La Albiceleste” took the top spot in the table. In addition, in 14 official matches since the historic final with France in December 2022, Argentina won 13.
Among these, notable is the historic victory over Brazil in the 2026 World Cup Qualifier. Scaloni’s team won for the second time in a row at the Maracana holy land, something no one can match.
However, Scaloni is also cautious about other championship candidates, in the context of Copa America taking place under heat that is affecting 77 million people in the US. Those competing for the title include Brazil, Uruguay, and Colombia.
Scaloni needs to refresh himself and Argentina
Argentina and Messi did not forget that they lost two consecutive finals to Chile in 2015 and 2016. The second match took place in the United States.
Of course, Scaloni also has to compete with himself to not be “overwhelmed” after two consecutive titles. At the end of last year, he suddenly talked about the possibility of leaving the team. Some experts explained that he noticed a certain laxity in the players, shown by the 0-2 loss to Uruguay in Buenos Aires.
In any case, Messi’s future is guaranteed after Copa America 2024. Although he always said that he will make daily decisions about continuing to play for the national team, Leo also gave many signs that he will continue to play for the national team. continue to attend the 2026 World Cup, also taking place in the US (with Mexico and Canada). He wanted that to be the last arena of his career.
Currently, Messi is not in a hurry to mention the next World Cup. He wants to focus on his and Argentina’s new challenge: conquering the “Triplete”.