At 33, Nicolas Tagliafico is approaching the FIFA World Cup 2026™ as one of the most experienced members of Argentina’s defending champions. The Olympique Lyonnais left-back not only played a part in the triumph in Qatar but also featured at Russia 2018, where Jorge Sampaoli’s side were eliminated in the round of 16 by France.
Combining technical quality with defensive discipline, Tagliafico has become an important part of Lionel Scaloni’s system. In Qatar, although he was not always in the starting XI, he started in two of the team’s most decisive matches: the semi-final against Croatia and the final against France.
He is expected to once again play a key role on the left flank, a position that has seen little turnover, with Marcos Acuna providing another option.
Argentina, who will compete in Group J against Algeria, Austria and Jordan, will be defending their crown for the third time in their history. After 1982 (eliminated in the second group stage) and 1990 (runners-up), they are aiming for glory once again.
In an interview with FIFA, Tagliafico discussed the challenges of defending the title in 2026, his development as a player and the lasting impact of Qatar 2022.
Nicolas Tagliafico: Playing this World Cup as champions is something very special: defending the title and experiencing the tournament all over again. I think it will be different. I’ve been lucky enough to play in World Cups before, but this will be a new challenge because, of course, everyone will want to beat us… and defending the title is unique.
When I think about Qatar, the final stands out, but so does the defeat to Saudi Arabia. They are two completely opposite moments, but I think they were the most memorable: one very high and one very low.
Handling that pressure is not easy. But in the end, we have very experienced players who know what it means to wear this shirt, who understand what it means to play a World Cup with Argentina. For us, it will be something very special. The pressure will always be there, but we know how to deal with it and, as we’ve shown recently, we will always give everything for the team.
Leo means a lot to us because he’s our captain. He’s the leader of the national team – six titles, if I’m not mistaken, which is incredible. I feel the team will support him until the very end, as we always have, and we’ll keep doing so. We’ll work together, as we did in the last World Cup, to defend the title and make it another tournament everyone remembers.
The biggest challenge is to build on what we have already achieved. We’ve set the bar very high, so now we have to try and clear it. We know the last one was very good, but we have to give our maximum to reach that level again.
I play for the people who care about me, for my family, and for myself. The first time I wore this shirt, I told myself I wanted to wear it many more times – and I still do. So I also play for myself, for my pride and for all the effort I’ve put in since I was a child.
Much more experience, definitely. Teamwork has always been there, but now I can contribute in more tactical areas and physically as well. The intensity is the same, but the experience I’ve gained helps. In Europe, I’ve faced many of the same opponents we’re likely to meet at the World Cup, so not much has changed since 2022, but that experience is always valuable.
