close the World Cup qualification, Finalissima on hold and an intermittent replacement

For some time now (almost) all the joys of Argentines come from the National Team of the most popular sport in the country. Football sets moods and, unlike what happens with club fans, when there is an albiceleste shirt involved, everyone gets involved, even the least fan of the ball. And after 2024 with the two-time championship in the Copa América, the permanence as number 1 in the FIFA ranking for 636 days and an unconditional performance, 2025 is approaching with renewed objectives: closing the qualification for the 2026 World Cup for the defense of the crown, a Finalissima on hold and an intermittent replacement in the squad in search of Ángel Di María’s replacement.

There is an asterisk in this whole context and it is the first challenge that a men’s soccer team will have: the Sub 20, now without Javier Mascherano – who went to Inter Miami – and with the ‘promotion’ of Diego Placente from the Sub 17 , will play the South American category between January 23 and February 16 in Venezuela, with four tickets to the World Cup to be held in Chile next September.

Now, let’s focus on the ‘Scaloneta’. It sounds like a truism, but Argentina has not yet qualified for the competition, which for the first time will involve 48 participants and three hosts with the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026. Undisputed leader of the South American Qualifiers with 25 points, it is close to breaking the barrier which was historically needed to access the sixth location.

With the increase in qualifying places, Conmebol now has six direct tickets plus one playoff. In the five previous editions under this format (excluding those of 1998 and 2014 because Brazil was already qualified) the The maximum number of points achieved by a team that reached sixth place was 27 (Colombia in 2002). Later the ‘floor’ was 26 (Chile in 2018), 24 (Colombia in 2006) and twice 23 (Ecuador in 2010 and Colombia in 2022).

Following this logic, beyond the fact that in sport in general and in football in particular it is often non-existent, atArgentina would need one victory to mathematically certify that classification to the defense of the third star, of which the second anniversary was celebrated on December 18 due to the feat of Qatar. Who are the first rivals of 2025 for the Albiceleste? The escort Uruguay (with 20 points), on March 20 at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo, and Brazila couple of days later at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires. Yes, two classics with the biggest prize at stake.

This year that ended also served to not feel invincible. As happened in that debut in Qatar 2022 against Saudi Arabia and the comeback in the second half for the 1-2 defeat, the exits in the Qualifiers meant an alert and were the ‘kryptonite’ of the Scaloneta: defeats against Colombia in Barranquilla and Paraguay in Asunción, plus a draw against Venezuela in the Maturín neighborhood.

But for Lionel Scaloni those results were also an opportunity. “I prefer not to lose to regain esteem; it is always better to win. But it is true that there are ways and means of losing. Most of the times that we have lost, beyond the fact that they were important blows and in conditions that we did not expect, the team had given good feelings. Losing knowing that the opponent was superior is not the same as losing knowing that you did what you had to do. In the end, it is what we always say: if in football the one who plays better always wins. , it would be boring. It is true that this reinforces the message, and they know that the team has to continue with this line, with nuances that we told them and that we have to try not to repeat.“, responded the man born in Pujato to the query of Clarionafter the defeat in Asunción and prior to the victory over Peru in La Bombonera, in the last game of 2024.

There will not be an official tournament for the Major in 2025 outside of the 2026 World Cup. It is that the defense of the title of the Very final against Spain, champion of the Euro Cup, is unlikely that fits into a hyper-compressed calendar due to the Club World Cup. There is five windows planned by FIFAthree of which will be for Qualifiers (March, June and September), while in the other two there is UEFA competition that does not give the ‘Red’ any respite. “With Argentina we have yet to play the so-called Finalissima that faces the champions of the Eurocup and the Copa América, but there is no date yet. Playing that match also makes us especially excited”the Spanish coach said a few days ago Luis de la Fuentewho was Scaloni’s teacher in the coaching course. TEverything points to 2026, then, but unlike 2022 when against Italy in London it was played in the middle of the season, this time the World Cup will be on that date.

Beyond those setbacks in results, the essence that the Argentine National Team built in these six years did not change.. That is a clear merit, because in a globalized football, full of technology that allows us to know everything, very few have been able to find a way to break their game plan. And that is the responsibility of a detailed coaching staff and players who, without letting themselves be dazed or dizzy, carry it forward on the playing field.

The backbone of those who played the most minutes in the 16 parties of the Argentine National Team in 2024 demonstrates it: Emiliano Martínez (1200), Rodrigo DePaul (1167), Christian Romero (1048) y Julian Alvarez (1045). ¿Lionel Messi? He was 910 on the court, in eleven games.

But since last July 14 there is a place to fill. It is the one of Angel Di Mariawhich crystallized his retirement from the Albiceleste – like Franco Armani– after lifting the Copa América at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami. They tried to convince him, inside and outside, to continue a while longer. But at 37 years old, in physical and football prime, he decided to keep that medal as his last souvenir. And that’s fine.

Today Scaloni’s greatest challenge is to be able to fill that space. For performance and characteristics, the offensive end is property of Nicolas Gonzalez. But the Italian Juventus player has suffered several injuries that did not allow him to be at his best in the moments when he was most needed in the National Team. In addition, he suffers from a lack of extremely high scoring effectiveness for the dangerous situations he generates. He is a ‘fetish’ of the coaching staff for his versatility and his penetration into the group, where he shares a lot with Alexis Mac Allistersince they know each other from the Argentinos Juniors Inferiores.

Given these absences there was evidence. Most of the time it was chosen Julian Alvarez on the side, taking advantage of the fact that Diego Simeone had also used him that way at the beginning of the season at Atlético de Madrid. It didn’t last long, really. In fact, the best performances of ‘Araña’ were in the center, due to his great sense of location, his decisiveness and the vision he provides in a place on the field where there is no time to make a decision.

Driven by his performance in the Premier League with Manchester United, Alejandro Garnacho is a subscriber to the call-ups, but not to the opportunities in games (219 minutes in five games during 2024). His speed and imbalance on the wing has cost him in the Albiceleste.

Es Nico Paz one of the players of the moment in Italy, who even earned him praise from his former coach at Real Madrid – still owner of his pass – Carlo Ancelotti. Decisive piece of As directed by Cesc Fabregasalready had his debut in the Argentine National Team against Bolivia, in the 6-0 win at the Monumental last October. The son of Pablo Paz, also a former Albiceleste footballer, has a quality similar to that of the also left-handed player. Valentin Carboni -who tore his knee ligaments when he was gaining space and continuity in the National Team-.

They were two of the six debutants of 2024, which raised the number to 50 during Lionel Scaloni’s cycle. The others? Valentine Boat, Valentin Castellanos, Giuliano Simeone and the archer Walter Benitez. There doesn’t seem to be room for many surprises, because each call is meticulously thought out, in fact The monitoring portfolio of the National Team’s coaching staff includes many young Argentines and the so-called ‘Europibes’ who will appear with increasing notoriety.

That is why it is a intermittent replacement, gradualwhich appears at certain times, sometimes forced by injuries, but whose main objective is to be able to generate the compatibility of each of the footballers with the idea that was forged in this successful time of the Albiceleste.

The performance of the Scaloneta not only brings good sporting results. One day before the end of the year, the AFA announced the company BGH as the new official sponsor for the entire South American continent. Thus, among the different modalities, there is more than 50 associated brandsincluding Adidas clothing, with which it renewed until 2038.

“Sometimes sporting success is not entirely linked to you having more and more companies all the time. It is a permanent job that must be done, talking to companies in each market, understanding their needs and budgets. It is a pride to spend from 6 companies at the beginning of this administration to having more than 50 within the current commercial portfolio of the AFA, with expansion to markets such as the United States and India, among others,” he explained. Leandro Petersencommercial and marketing director of AFA, to Clarion.