The magic moment of Argentina seems never-ending: the Selección have won all three group-stage matches, conceding just one goal in total. The spotlight inevitably stays on Lionel Messi, now 39, top scorer with six goals, still bending the rhythm of the team around him without it ever feeling forced. Behind it all, Lionel Scaloni has become the quiet constant, a coach whose record has stopped needing framing. Since 2021 Argentina have won everything available: Copa América in 2021 and 2024, the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, and the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, the Finalissima, also in 2022. Every tournament they have entered in this cycle has ended the same way.
Now the idea shifts to something rarer: back-to-back World Cups, achieved only by Italy in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil between 1958 and 1962. On Saturday 4 July Scaloni reaches 100 matches in charge against Cape Verde, a round of 16 tie against the winner of Australia and Egypt, with a win rate of 72 per cent. Since his debut against Guatemala on 7 September 2018 he has recorded 72 wins in 99 matches, nine defeats, 206 goals scored and 50 conceded. The structure has remained consistent throughout: a stable core, experienced players blended with younger names, all orbiting Messi without depending entirely on him. Rodrigo De Paul leads the cycle in minutes played, 6,751, more than anyone else in this group.
There is also the context of the opposition. Friendlies have often come against Panama, Curaçao, Australia, Indonesia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Angola. No European sides since the 2022 World Cup final against France. A calendar shaped by economics and convenience, but one that has sustained the rhythm of results all the same.