Argentina's easiest and hardest group to swallow at World Cup 2026

Messi and Argentina will defend the 2026 World Cup title.

Argentina enter the 2026 World Cup as defending champions and continue to be led by Lionel Messi. With their current position, "La Albiceleste " are expected to make it through the group stage without much trouble, but the draw on December 5 could still bring scenarios that make them breathe a sigh of relief... or be wary.

Easiest group for Argentina

Thanks to their Pot 1 placement, Argentina avoids the European heavyweights and the three home teams. However, the remaining pots all have notable opponents, although there are still some easy picks.

Austria are considered the softest team in Pot 2. They won 6/8 qualifying matches but still struggled against Bosnia & Herzegovina and lost to Romania. More importantly, Austria have missed out on the last 6 World Cups.

In Pot 3, Ivory Coast is the weakest team according to the FIFA rankings for November. They are no longer as strong as they were during the Yaya Toure-Didier Drogba era, and their form over the years shows that they are on the decline.

New Zealand are the lightest opponents in Pot 4. This team rarely gets to rub shoulders with big opponents and even ranks below Haiti and newcomer Curaçao.

Easiest group scenario:

Shirt (Pot 2)
Ivory Coast (Pot 3)
New Zealand (Pot 4)

The most difficult group for Argentina

Croatia is the name Argentina wants to avoid the most in Pot 2. Messi and his teammates lost 0-3 to Croatia in 2018, although they took revenge with a 3-0 victory in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals. But the European team's extensive experience still makes them a very difficult opponent.

Since they cannot meet Ecuador due to the same region, Australia is the toughest opponent in Pot 3 that Argentina can face. They only beat Australia 2-1 in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup. Norway is also a big threat if Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard are both in good form.

In Pot 4, South Africa is the worst choice for Argentina. The 2010 World Cup hosts have a strong physical base, and compared to the other teams in the pot, they are the most dangerous opponents. Qatar, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia - the three strongest teams in this pot - cannot be in Australia's group because they are all from Asia.

The most difficult group scenario:

Croatia (Pot 2)
Australia (Pot 3)
South Africa (Pot 4)

Argentina are considered strong enough to get through any group. But the difference between “going easy” and “getting an early warning” will depend a lot on the draw for the 2026 World Cup.

Source: https://znews.vn/bang-dau-de-kho-nuot-nhat-cua-argentina-tai-world-cup-2026-post1604568.html