Argentina arrived at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ as one of the favourites to take home the trophy. They went into that tournament as CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 champions, with Lionel Messi finally clinching his first senior title in an Albiceleste shirt, bringing an end to a personal quest for silverware that had spanned over a decade.
That continental triumph would mark a turning point in the national team’s fortunes, with Argentina proceeding to replicate that continental success on the global stage. On 18 December 2022, they overcame France in the World Cup Final to achieve a feat that had previously proved impossible for the CONMEBOL champions.
Two years on, Argentina showed their supremacy once more as they secured the Copa America 2024 crown. And, after topping the standings in the South American qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, they are preparing to step out at FIFA’s flagship event in Canada, Mexico and the United States as continental champions.
The Albiceleste will get their World Cup campaign under way on Tuesday, 16 June against Algeria, before taking on Austria (22 June) and Jordan (27 June) in their bid to progress from Group J.
Here, FIFA looks back through the history books to review the fortunes of the reigning Copa America champions at the World Cup.
Argentina: 1929 and 1930
Copa America 1929: The Argentinians proved their might in a tournament featuring a
round-robin format, prevailing in an unbeaten campaign in which they showcased all of their attacking flair.
How they fared at Uruguay 1930: Runners up.
The Albiceleste made it to within touching distance of glory, but it was the hosts, Uruguay, who claimed the trophy in the inaugural edition, recording a 4-2 victory in the final to etch their names in the history books.
Argentina: 1929 and 1934
Copa America 1929: Argentina remained the reigning champions, as the next tournament was held in 1935.
How they fared at Italy 1934: Eliminated in the round of 16
With the World Cup adopting an immediate knockout format, Argentina lost their first match, falling to Sweden 3-2 in the Round of 16.
Note: The Copa America champions did not compete in the 1938 edition of the World Cup for non-sporting reasons.
Brazil: 1949 and 1950
Copa America 1949: With Jair as star man and top scorer with nine goals, Brazil defeated Paraguay 7-0 in the final to demonstrate their dominance.
How they fared at Brazil 1950: Runners up
Brazil were strongly tipped to lift the World Cup on home soil, but instead suffered one of the most painful defeats in the history of the Seleção, losing the final 2-1 to Uruguay in one of the tournament’s most famous matches.
Paraguay: 1953 and 1954
Copa America 1953: The Albirroja claimed a major scalp by beating Brazil in the title decider with a well-organised, powerful team that was true to the Paraguayan ethos.
How they fared at Switzerland 1954: Did not qualify
Argentina: 1957 and 1958
Copa America 1957: Legendary figures such as Omar Sivori and Humberto Maschio fired Guillermo Stabile’s sublime squad to glory with some brilliant attacking football.
How they fared at Sweden 1958: Eliminated in the group stage
Finishing rock bottom of Group 1 and bowing out after the first round was a tough blow to take for an Albiceleste team with lofty ambitions. The continental kings opened their campaign with a 3-1 defeat by West Germany, from which they recovered to see off Northern Ireland by the same scoreline, before suffering a 6-1 reverse at the hands of Czechoslovakia.
Argentina: 1959 and 1962
Copa America 1959: Despite not being quite as easy on the eye as the side that had claimed the continental crown two years earlier, the hosts were no less dominant as they once again ruled the roost on the South American stage.
How they fared at Chile 1962: Eliminated in the group stage
The Argentinians once again suffered a first-round exit after failing to advance from a group comprising Bulgaria, England and Hungary.
Bolivia: 1963 and 1966
Copa America 1963: The Bolivians capitalised on home advantage to claim their only tournament crown to date.
How they fared at England 1966: Did not qualify.
Uruguay: 1967 and 1970
Copa America 1967: The Celeste’s pedigree and experience proved decisive as they reigned supreme in an arduous league format.
How they fared at Mexico 1970: Fourth place
Boasting players of the calibre of Roberto Matosas and Luis Cubilla, the Uruguayans put in a more than creditable performance to finish fourth. They were undone by a 3-1 defeat to eventual winners Brazil in the semi-finals.
Uruguay: 1967 and 1974
The Copa America was not held again until 1975.
How they fared at West Germany 1974: Eliminated in the group stage
Lining up with a less formidable team than four years previously, Uruguay were dispatched after the first round, having finished bottom of a group featuring Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Peru: 1975 and 1978
Copa America 1975: Thanks to Teofilo Cubillas and the other members of a golden generation that included Oblitas, Cesar Cueto and Hector Chumpitaz, to name a few, Peru powered their way through a tough tournament format to take the title.
How they fared at Argentina 1978: Eliminated in the second group stage
The Bicolor advanced from the first stage as group winners after playing some top-class football, racking up victories over Scotland and IR Iran and managing a draw against eventual runners-up the Netherlands. However, it all came crashing down in the second group stage with defeats by Brazil (3-0), Poland (1-0) and Argentina (6-0).
Paraguay: 1979 and 1982
Copa America 1979: A solid and well-organised side with a strong defence were crowned champions, emerging victorious in a gruelling three-match title decider against Chile.
How they fared at Spain 1982: Did not qualify
Uruguay: 1983 and 1986
Copa America 1983: With Enzo Francescoli as their talisman, the Uruguayans overcame Brazil in a two-legged final.
How they fared at Mexico 1986: Eliminated in the round of 16
Despite their enormous potential, Omar Borras’ charges failed to get the better of a Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina and crashed out in the last 16.
Brazil: 1989 and 1990
Copa America 1989: Playing on home turf and with their attacking duo of Romario and Bebeto on fire, the Brazilians were simply unstoppable.
How they fared at Italy 1990: Eliminated in the round of 16
Brazil and Argentina served up one of the most memorable games in the tournament’s history when they squared off in the last 16, with the Seleção slipping to a 1-0 defeat. The goal that separated the sides saw Maradona embark on a scything run before picking out Claudio Caniggia, whose composed finish meant the Canarinha headed home empty-handed.
Argentina: 1993 and 1994
Copa America 1993: With Alfio Basile at the helm, the Argentinians successfully defended their continental crown thanks in no small part to Gabriel Batistuta’s goalscoring exploits.
How they fared at USA 1994: Eliminated in the round of 16
Despite possessing one of the most star-studded squads in the history of the Argentina national team, Maradona’s positive doping test after the Nigeria game derailed the Albiceleste’s bid for glory.
Brazil: 1997 and 1998
Copa America 1997: The devastating Ro-Ro duo formed by Ronaldo and Romario shone like never before – or ever again, with the Brazilians running out 3-1 winners over hosts Bolivia in the tournament decider.
How they fared at France 1998: Runners up.
Possessing an illustrious set of stars, Les Bleus were the only side who managed to stand in the way of a truly brilliant Brazilian team. Romario failed to make the squad after losing his race to overcome injury and the previously scintillating Ronaldo was unable to work his magic in the final against the host nation.
Colombia: 2001 and 2002
Copa America 2001: Able to count on home comforts and with Argentina absent from the tournament line-up, Colombia secured their first and only Copa America crown. Victor Aristizabal was the competition’s top scorer, with six goals, and Ivan Cordoba proved to be the hero in the final against Mexico, with his glancing header sealing the deal for the Colombians.
How they fared at Korea/Japan 2002: Did not qualify
Brazil: 2004 and 2006
Copa America 2004: With many of their big-name players left out of the squad for the showpiece event, the Brazilians beat Argentina in a hard-fought final despite being a goal down with three minutes to go. Adriano hauled Brazil level before they held their nerve to prevail on penalties.
How they fared at Germany 2006: Eliminated in the quarter-finals
A side sparkling with gems including Ronaldinho, Adriano, Ronaldo and Kaka suffered defeat in the quarter-finals following one of the most inspired performances of France great Zinedine Zidane’s dazzling career.
Brazil: 2007 and 2010
Copa America 2007: Although they were unable to field their first-choice team, the Brazilians breezed past Argentina in the final in a 3-0 win in which Robinho was the standout performer.
How they fared at South Africa 2010: Eliminated in the quarter-finals
The Seleção failed to find their feet and were knocked out in the quarter-finals following a
2-1 reverse inflicted by the Netherlands.
Uruguay: 2011 and 2014
Copa America 2011: A golden generation featuring the likes of Diego Lugano, Diego Godin, Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan squeezed past hosts Argentina on penalties in the last eight before going on to overpower Paraguay in the final at El Monumental in Buenos Aires.
How they fared at Brazil 2014: Eliminated in the round of 16
The stars just didn’t align for Oscar Tabarez’s troops on Brazilian soil. Showing less enterprise than might have been expected, the CONMEBOL title holders were knocked out in the round of 16 by Colombia as James Rodriguez announced himself on the global stage with an unforgettable strike.
Chile: 2016 and 2018
Copa America 2016: Jorge Sampaoli’s charges produced a campaign that was in keeping with the pedigree of the leading names on their team sheet, with Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel, Claudio Bravo and company shining brightly on US soil. The Chileans triumphed on penalties in the final against Argentina, as they had done the previous year, when they won the title in their own backyard.
How they fared at Russia 2018: Did not qualify
Argentina: 2021 and 2022
Copa America 2021: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the stands deserted, Messi led the charge for Scaloni’s side, who edged to victory over Brazil in the final at the Maracana.
How they fared at Qatar 2022: Winners
The Albiceleste became the only South American champions to go on to win the following World Cup. And after successfully defending their CONMEBOL crown in 2024, Argentina will head to North America bidding to once again back up their continental triumph by garnering global glory.
