Southampton W · WSL Cup · Attacker · #7 · England · 26 yrs
Starting the competition as the reigning champions, Lionel Messi's Argentina will be heading to the 2026 World Cup with the task to be the first back-to-back winners in 64 years. Lionel Messi is headed to a record-breaking sixth career World Cup, but 2026 brings uncharted territory. For the first time, he carries the immense weight of defending the crown Argentina won back in 2022. While the Albiceleste enter the tournament as heavy betting favorites, history is working against them: only an elite, microscopic tier of footballing nations have ever managed to win back-to-back titles. On Day 6 of the 2026 World Cup this Tuesday, June 16, Argentina formally kicks off its campaign against Algeria. The reigning champions enter the match nursing several key injuries, none more devastating than star forward Julian Alvarez, while defender Marcos Senesi was a late addition to the roster to replace the injured Leonardo Balerdi. Messi’s path forward features a Matchday 2 clash against Austria on Monday, June 22, before wrapping up group play against tournament debutants Jordan on Saturday, June 27. Should they top Group G, the Albiceleste would face the runner-up of Group H—a brutal crossover that could potentially draw a powerhouse like Spain or Uruguay in the Round of 32, ensuring a treacherous road if they hope to pull off the repeat. Last back-to-back World Cup champion The last national team to successfully defend its World Cup title was Brazil, a historic feat that has incredibly gone unmatched for 64 years. In Sweden 1958, a 17-year-old Pele famously took the world by storm, scoring in the final to claim the trophy over the hosts in a 5-2 rout. Four years later at Chile 1962, Pele was hobbled by an early injury, but the Selecao still rallied to hoist the world championship once again. FIFA World Cup Trophy. In fact, the consecutive-title club is the most exclusive fraternity in international sports. The only country outside of Brazil to secure back-to-back World Cups is Italy, who actually became the first nation to achieve the milestone with triumphs in the 1934 and 1938 tournaments. Since Brazil’s historic repeat in 1962, 15 iterations of the tournament have come and gone with the feat remaining completely untouched. That doesn’t mean dominant teams haven’t come agonizingly close, however; several heavyweights marched all the way to the precipice of a repeat before falling at the final hurdle. Brazil itself missed out on what would have been a staggering three-peat. After capturing the title in 1994, they reached the final again at France 1998, only to be thoroughly dismantled 3-0 by the host nation, spoiling both the repeat and their eventual 2002 championship run. The most recent heartbreak belongs to France. After conquering the world in Russia in 2018, Les Bleus stormed back to the final at Qatar 2022, only to lose a thrilling, breathless penalty shootout to Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Argentina has also stared down this exact historical ghost before, meeting the same tragic fate. Driven by the sheer brilliance of Diego Maradona, Argentina captured its second star in 1986 and pushed all the way to the final at Italia ’90, only to suffer a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to West Germany. Now, Messi and company get their shot at breaking soccer’s modern 64-year curse.
Dan Riccio and Blake Price recap a dramatic stretch of 2026 World Cup matches on The 90th Minute Daily, analyzing major wins and shocking draws. The group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues to deliver high-stakes drama and unexpected outcomes across the brackets. On the latest edition of The 90th Minute Daily, co-hosts Dan Riccio and Blake Price break down a packed schedule of matches that saw top contenders cruise while others stumbled. Listen to the full episode on Spotify to hear the complete daily tournament analysis. The program details a flurry of goals from the tournament’s powerhouses, headlined by Germany’s commanding 7-1 victory over Curaçao. The hosts also recap Sweden’s clinical 5-1 win against Tunisia, a high-scoring 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan, and a narrow 1-0 win for Ivory Coast over Ecuador. Beyond the goal fests, the duo evaluates the massive storylines generated by unexpected stalemates. They dissect Brazil’s surprising 1-1 draw with Morocco, Switzerland splitting points with Qatar, and Scotland picking up a crucial victory over Haiti as nations fight to secure knockout positions. The episode wraps up by separating the true tournament contenders from the teams currently facing immense pressure to respond in their next matches. To close out the show, Riccio and Price provide early predictions and tactical previews for the upcoming slate of matches. You can stream the entire daily breakdown right now. Check out The 90th Minute Daily on Spotify to stay up to date on all the latest results, reactions, and group stage standings.
With the World Cup expanding to a massive 104 matches, navigating the "morass of endless football" can feel a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, the Guardian’s chief sports writer, Barney Ronay, has done the heavy lifting. He breaks down the group stage fixtures you absolutely cannot miss - from historic David v Goliath battles to high-stakes political showdowns. Continue reading...
Argentina are out to make history this summer and become the first nation to retain the World Cup on a different continent. No team has done it anywhere since Brazil in 1962. Achieving it would cap Lionel Messi’s career. But how realistic is winning it again?
Former Premiership midfielders Scott Allan and Andy Halliday expect a change of shape from Scotland in Friday's second World Cup Group C fixture against Morocco. The Scots opened with a 1-0 win against Haiti, courtesy of John McGinn's deflected goal, while Morocco drew 1-1 with Brazil.
Prior to France's debut, Kylian Mbappe stated that he's open for another World Cup final against Lionel Messi's Argentina as he'd like to "change the course of destiny." Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi were the central figures in one of the greatest games in soccer history, the 2022 World Cup final that saw Argentina claim the trophy over France in a penalty shootout. Now with the 2026 edition underway, Mbappe has made clear he would welcome another shot at the Albiceleste, saying he would like to “change the course of destiny.” In an interview with Le Parisien, France teammate Warren Zaire-Emery asked Mbappe which moment of his career he would choose to relive, and the answer left little room for interpretation: “There are many. Especially the defeats, because if you relive them, maybe you can change the course of destiny. For example, I would change Argentina 2022. That final comes to my mind more than the one we won.“ Mbappe went on to reflect on the particular cruelty of losing a World Cup final, noting that many of his current France teammates were not even part of that squad in Qatar. “The cruelty is right there, meaning we did all that just to lose on penalties. I don’t believe in luck; penalties are not a lottery. It is a technical action, but it remains the cruelest way to lose a World Cup final,” the striker added. Had France won, they would have become the third nation in history to claim consecutive World Cup titles, following Italy in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Mbappe also opened up about his emotional state in the immediate aftermath. “I am often asked why I didn’t cry in 2022. Simply because the tears wouldn’t come, I was stunned. If I could have cried, I wouldn’t have held back my tears. It’s just that I was knocked out!,” he explained over the final. Kylian Mbappe of France walks past the FIFA World Cup trophy in 2022. “If we win the World Cup tomorrow and I have to cry, I will cry. If only because it’s every four years. You don’t know where you will be in four years. Now, for example, there are only 10 or 11 guys left from 2022,” Mbappe concluded. As he noted, of the 26 players who reached the final in Qatar four years ago, only 12 remain in this year’s squad, with the other 14 having departed through retirement or omission. Winning that final would have been a personal crowning moment for Mbappe, who also claimed the Golden Boot with eight goals and became only the second player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, after Geoff Hurst. Despite that extraordinary individual performance, the loss to Lionel Messi‘s Argentina is clearly something that continues to occupy his thoughts. Is another Mbappe vs Messi final possible at the 2026 World Cup? With the 2026 World Cup now underway, Mbappe enters the tournament at 27 and in the prime of his career, while Messi, 38 and set to turn 39 in the coming weeks, carries the weight of defending the title. While an exact replica of the 2022 final is not possible, the bracket has been drawn in a way that a late showdown between the two nations remains very much on the table. According to FIFA’s bracket structure and rules, if both Argentina and France advance as group winners from their respective sections, they would be placed on opposite sides of the knockout bracket. That means the only scenario in which they could meet would be a final, giving the 2026 World Cup the potential for a dream rematch on the biggest stage. Should either team advance as group runners-up, the two nations could end up on the same side of the draw, in which case a meeting in the semifinal becomes a possibility. Either way, the bracket has left open a path for Mbappe and Messi to cross swords again before this tournament is over.
