Argentina
Group:
C
First Match:
November 22, 2022, 6 PM SGT
Stadium:
Lusail Stadium
The victors of the 2021 Copa America Without dropping a single game, Argentina advanced to the next round of qualification for this winter's tournament and ultimately finished in second place, behind Brazil.
Argentina hasn't won the World Cup since 1986. Since then, they've finished as runners-up three times (most recently in 2014, when they failed against Germany in the final), and they'll be hoping to redeem themselves after being eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual champion France in Russia in 2018.
Argentina, on the other hand, has been on a roll as of late, having not beaten a competitive game since the Copa America semifinals in the summer of 2019 (a loss to Brazil), and having also won the inaugural "Finalissima" competition earlier this year with a 3-0 victory against Italy.
Key Player: Lionel Messi (Paris Saint Germain)
Messi, now 35 years old, will be competing in his final World Cup, and he will no doubt be eager to complete his collection of trophies by winning the international title that has eluded him thus far.
Though he is already his country's most decorated player, Messi has shown this season that he possesses great potential on the domestic level, and his form will be crucial in bringing Argentina towards their first trophy in almost 30 years.