Argentina were one of the 13 teams in the inaugural World Cup in 1930. At that tournament, Argentina eventually reached the final, losing 2-4 to Uruguay. Between 1929 and 1959, the Argentinian team won the Copa America 12 times, but FIFA World Cup success still eluded them. The breakthrough for the Albiceleste came in 1978 when they won the World Cup for the first time on home soil. Mario Kempes scored twice in a memorable final against Holland.

Argentina repeated the feat in 1986 thanks to the genius of Diego Maradona. They reached the final again in 1990, only to see an Andi Brehme penalty seal victory for Germany. In 2014 they were beaten in the final again by Germany, 1-0 in extra time.

The football powerhouse nearly did not make it to the 2018 World Cup, needing a Messi hat-trick to come from behind to beat Ecuador in a final qualifier.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Lionel Messi became the first player to score in four World Cups for Argentina (2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022). This record surpassed fellow Argentinians Diego Maradona (1982, 1986 and 1994) and Gabriel Batistuta (1994, 1998 and 2002) who both scored in three editions of the tournament.

Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, the country's third title.

Argentina has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. See their 2026 World Cup title odds for a potential back-to-back run.

1930

Argentina featured in the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930. The team qualified from Group 1, ahead of Chile, France, and Mexico. Argentina won 6-1 against the USA in the Semi-finals to progress to the finals of the competition. However, Argentina lost 2-4 to Uruguay in the Final.

1934

Argentina lost 2-3 to Sweden in the first round of the 1934 FIFA World Cup.

1958

Argentina didn't make it out of Group 1 at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

1962

Argentina didn't make it out of Group 4 at the 1962 FIFA World Cup.

1966

Argentina made it out of Group 2 at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. The team was eliminated from the Quarter-finals by England.

1974

Argentina qualified out of Group 4 at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. However, Argentina didn't make it out of the next stage.

1978

Argentina won the 1978 FIFA World Cup. The team defeated the Netherlands to lift the cup in 1978.

1982

Argentina made it out of Group 3 at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. However, the team did not qualify out of Group B because they lost their two matches against Brazil and Italy.

1986

Argentina won the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The team defeated Germany in the final match to win the trophy.

1990

Argentina lost 0-1 to Germany in the final match of the 1990 FIFA World Cup. 

1994

Argentina made it out of Group D at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. However, the team lost 2-3 to Romania in the Round of 16 of the competition.

1998

Argentina made it out of Group H at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The team won its Round of 16 match against England to progress to the next stage. However, Argentina lost 1-2 to the Netherlands in the Quarter-finals of the competition.

2002

Argentina didn't make it out of Group F at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

2006

Argentina reached the Quarter-finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The team lost 2-4 to Germany in the Quarter-finals of the competition.

2010

Argentina reached the Quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The team lost 0-4 to Germany in the Quarter-finals.

2014

Argentina lost 0-1 to Germany at the Final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

2018

Argentina reached the Round of 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. France won 4-3 against Argentina to progress to the next stage of the competition.

2022

Argentina won the FIFA World Cup for the third time. The team won 4-2 on penalties against France to lift the trophy.

2026

Argentina has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World. The team will be playing against Austria, Algeria, and Jordan in Group J.

Trivia

  • Thousands of Argentinian supporters failed to attend the 1930 Final as their boats were delayed due to thick fog. Eight of the ten chartered boats were unable to arrive in time for the Final, though fortunately the match referee was on the first boat that arrived.
  • An unexpected consequence of Argentina's defeat in the 1930 Final was that the Argentinian president was overthrown several days after the Final. Argentinian president Irigoyen was overthrown in a military coup flamed by the deeply disappointed citizens.
  • Peruvian goalkeeper Ramon Quiroga was accused of deliberately conceding some goals in their 6-0 loss to Argentina in a Second Round group match on 21 June 1978. He was born in Argentina. Argentina had to beat Peru by a margin of at least 4 goals to reach the 1978 Final. The Peruvian people could believe that their admirable goalkeeper Quiroga would let in six goals in a match. When Quiroga came back home, he published a full letter in the newspapers pleading his innocence and explaining the reasons for Peru's humiliating defeat.
  • Argentina's Gabriel Batistuta scored two unique hat-tricks in 1994 and in 1998. Both were achieved on 21 June of the year, against World Cup finals debutants (Greece and Jamaica), and each time the third goal was a penalty.