Neither Spain nor Uruguay: what if Argentina finish 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 be their group rivals. And, even though the matches still have to be played, many foresee a first-place finish or, at worst, a second-place finish.

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 there will also be a separate table 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. Here, for example, any small 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—an untimely matchup given the strength both teams possess.

Still, within the realm of plausible scenarios, it wouldn’t be pleasant to face Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay either. After that, the Scaloneta could face Paraguay or Australia, or Iran or Egypt, in a duel 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 likely 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, provided they 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 among the third-placed teams, they have the same chances of falling into either the top or bottom half of the bracket. In the first case, the tough opponents that could lie ahead 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 with a potential spoiler 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.