Neither Spain nor Uruguay: what if Argentina qualify as third | OneFootball

Many celebrated with a clenched fist the formation of Group J, which will include the Argentine National Team in the 2026 World Cup, after it was revealed in the official draw that Austria, Algeria, and Jordan would also be part of the group. And, even though the matches still have to be played, many are already predicting a first-place finish or, at worst, a second.

This World Cup will introduce the novelty of an extra round, the Round of 32, instead of the traditional Round of 16 that followed the group stage. Not only will the top two teams from each group qualify, but a separate table will be created to grant tickets to the eight best third-placed teams.

If Argentina finishes first or second, it is already known that their opponent will come from Group A, which includes Spain, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, and Uruguay. There, for example, any minor slip by Argentina or Spain that results in one winning their group and the other finishing second could lead to a clash between the two in the Round of 32, which would be untimely given the strength both teams possess.

Still, among the likely scenarios, it would not be pleasant to face Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay either. After that, the Scaloneta could come up against Paraguay or Australia and Iran or Egypt, in the match between the second-placed teams from Groups D and G, for the Round of 16.

In the quarterfinals, the strongest opponents to face would be Portugal (who will probably contest their group with Colombia) and Switzerland or Canada, who will face off in Group B, which also features Qatar and another team from the playoffs. In the semifinals, on the upper side of Lionel Scaloni’s team’s bracket, Brazil and England could appear, if they had topped their groups.

Now, for a third-placed team from Group J, the possibilities open up: they could face any of five opponents—the winners of Groups B, D, G, K, and L. In the first, the favorite is Switzerland; in the second, the host United States and Paraguay; in the third, Belgium and Egypt; in the fourth, Portugal and Colombia; and in the last, England and Croatia.

In perspective, depending on their final position in the third-placed teams’ table, they have an equal chance of falling into either the upper or lower part of the bracket. In the first case, the tough opponents they could face range from Spain, Portugal, England, or Croatia between the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, to Germany, France, or the Netherlands in the semifinals.

If they fall into the lower bracket, there’s a chance of a Round of 16 match with Mexico and quarterfinals against a party-crasher from their own group or a Uruguay or Saudi Arabia. In the semifinals, they could well face Brazil or, later than in the previous scenario, England or Croatia.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.