Argentina already eye Group H: today, it'd be Uruguay

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·22 Juni 2026

Argentina already eye Group H: today, it'd be Uruguay

Spain’s 4-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia this Sunday moved the European side into position in Group H, which it leads with 4 points, while Uruguay is second with 2 after drawing with Cape Verde, which also has 2. The Asian team sits bottom with 1. Argentina is watching this group very closely because its next rival in the 2026 World Cup round of 32 could come from here.

Based on the standings today, Argentina would face Uruguay in the round of 32 if it finishes first. It is worth noting that the national team will only face an opponent from Group H if it advances in first or second place, something that could be decided tomorrow. What does it need for that? Beat Austria and hope Jordan does not. If that does not happen, there are also several other combinations that would still see it qualify in first place.

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However, what happens if Argentina finishes third in its group? In that case, it could face the winners of Groups D, G, L, B and K.

The possible scenarios if Argentina finishes first:

If Uruguay wins and Cape Verde draws or loses, the opponent is Spain.
If Uruguay and Cape Verde both win, the opponent is whichever of the two has the worse goal difference (both are currently on zero), and if they are still level, the one with fewer goals scored (both currently have +2), and finally the one with the worse Fair Play ranking (for now that would be Uruguay in 1st because it has one fewer yellow card).
If there are two draws, the opponent is decided the same way as in the previous case, except Uruguay and Cape Verde would be battling to finish 2nd instead of 1st.
If Cape Verde wins by fewer than 4 goals and Uruguay draws, the opponent is Cape Verde.
If Cape Verde wins by 4 goals, first place would be decided on goals scored, or fair play, with Spain.
If Cape Verde wins by 4 or more goals and Uruguay draws, the opponent is Spain.
If Uruguay does not win and Saudi Arabia wins, the opponent is Saudi Arabia.

Argentina’s possible path in the World Cup

Assuming the Albiceleste finishes top of its group, it would face the runner-up from Spain’s group in the round of 32. Then, it could come up against Paraguay or Australia, and later Iran or Egypt, in the clash between the runners-up of Groups D and G, in the round of 16.

Lionel Scaloni during an Argentina national team training session in Kansas City.

In the quarterfinals, the toughest opponents could be Portugal, which will likely battle Colombia for first place in its group, and Switzerland or Canada, members of Group B along with Qatar and Bosnia.

In the semifinals, on the upper side of the bracket for Lionel Scaloni’s team, Brazil and England could appear, provided both top their respective groups.

On the other side of the bracket will be the winners of Groups E, I, F, H and G. In other words, the national team would only face Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain or Belgium in a hypothetical final,

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