The reigning Copa America champions were left heart-broken in Brazil back in 2014. Can they finally realise their dream of world domination?

 

Argentina have won the World Cup twice in their history (1978 & 1986) and the Albiceleste will fancy their chances of going all the way in Qatar 2022 after a hiatus of 36 years.

They beat arch-rivals Brazil in the 2021 Copa America final to lift the trophy at the Maracana Stadium and will be hoping to repeat their heroics on the world stage at Lusail Stadium on December 18.

So, what will Argentina and Lionel Messi need to do to ensure the country becomes world champions for the first time since 1986? GOAL takes a look at their potential route to the final.

Argentina’s World Cup group stage finish

PosTeamPWDL+/-Points1Argentina3201362Poland3111043Mexico3111-144Saudi Arabia3102-23

Argentina finished top of the group with six points, with Poland coming in two points behind them in second place.

Lionel Scaloni’s men started their campaign on a disappointing note as they lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia, but came strongly with two consecutive 2-0 victories against Mexico and Poland.

Argentina’s World Cup 2022 last-16 opponents

Argentina have finished top of Group C which means they faced the runners-up from Group D. Australia finished behind France in that pool, so Argentina went up against the Socceroos in the round of 16.

The game went ahead on December 3, 2022 at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, with Argentina winning 2-1.

Argentina’s World Cup 2022 quarter-final opponents

Argentina will face the winner between the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final.

That quarter-final will take place at 7pm GMT (2pm ET) on December 9, at the Lusail Stadium.

Argentina’s possible World Cup 2022 semi-final opponents

If Argentina make it through to the semi-finals, they will face one of Japan, Croatia, Brazil or South Korea,

The semi-final will take place on December 13 at 7pm GMT (2pm ET) at Lusail Stadium.

Argentina’s possible World Cup 2022 final opponents

As group winners, Argentina will meet a team from the other side of the bracket should they progress to the final.

England, Spain, France, Portugal, Senegal, Poland, Morocco, Switzerland are all potential opponents.

The World Cup 2022 final will be played on December 18, 2022, also at the Lusail Stadium. The game kicks off at 3pm GMT (10am ET).

Argentina’s route to the World Cup 2022 final

Here’s Argentina’s fixtures on the route to the World Cup 2022 final at a glance.

RoundOpponentDateKick-off timeLast 16AustraliaDec 37pm GMT / 2pm ETQuarter-finalNetherlandsDec 97pm GMT / 2pm ETSemi-finalJapan/Croatia/Brazil/South KoreaDec 137pm GMT / 2pm ETFinalEngland/Senegal/ France/Poland/ Morocco/Spain/Portugal/Switzerland Dec 183pm GMT / 10am ET

Where to watch Argentina’s World Cup games on TV & stream online

BBC and ITV have the broadcast rights for the World Cup in the United Kingdom while FOX and Telemundo are broadcasting games live on TV in the United States.

You can check GOAL‘s Soccer on U.S. TV listings here and the Football on UK TV listings here.

How far do you think Argentina will go in the World Cup? Let us know in the comments! ?