Argentina had some of the most unlikely opponents in their journey to the World Cup finals. Teams like Switzerland, Cape Verde, Egypt, and Jordan have faced Argentina in the last month. Expectedly, there are discussions around how Argentina faced some small names and had an easy route to enter the finals. However, as per the Argentinian goalie, Emiliano Martinez, they didn’t have a choice of opponents.
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“People had opinions about the opponents we were up against, but we didn’t choose our opponents… For example, Colombia dominated against Portugal, then Switzerland beat Colombia, and we ended up playing Switzerland. It was tough. All the matches are tough. You just have to play and adapt,” The Touchline quoted Martinez on X.
On paper, Argentina’s path to the 2026 World Cup final was widely considered easier than the opposite side of the bracket.
They did not face a top-15 ranked FIFA team until the semi-finals, avoiding European heavyweights like Spain and France until the very end of the tournament. However, despite these favorable matchups, Argentina’s run proved to be highly dramatic. They were forced into extra time by tournament debutants Cape Verde (Round of 32), rallied from two goals down to beat Egypt (Round of 16), and had to overcome an early deficit to defeat England in the semi-finals.
“There are no easy opponents; you have to play the matches. We don’t take anything for granted,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
There were chances that Portugal would face Argentina, and a Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duel was on the cards. However, just as Portugal finished as group runners-up, they were relegated to a challenging knockout route that would have required defeating Croatia, Spain, and France to reach the final.
Hence, it’s Argentina’s luck that they faced some easier opponents on their road to the finals. And the blame goes to the so-called bigger teams for botching in the group stage and making it easy for the Latin American team.
However, the finals are not going to be easy for Argentina. Spain’s possession-heavy control, flawless defensive record, and the tactical mastery of coach Luis de la Fuente could spell doom for Argentina. Moreover, Spain has conceded only one goal in the tournament, making it exceptionally difficult for Argentina’s attack to break through. Cape Verde and Egypt have shown how to keep Argentina on the back foot. Spain could bring it to reality.
