Argentina already have one eye on Group H: Uruguay for now

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·22 giugno 2026

Argentina already have one eye on Group H: Uruguay for now

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 in second place with 2 after drawing with Cape Verde, which also has 2. The Asian side is bottom with 1. Argentina is following this group very closely because its next opponent 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 should be noted that the national team will only meet 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? To beat Austria and for Jordan not to do so. If that does not happen, there are also several other combinations that would 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.

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 level at zero), and if they are still level, whichever has scored fewer goals (both currently have +2), and finally whoever has the worse Fair Play ranking (today that would be Uruguay in first place by one fewer yellow card).
If there are two draws, the opponent is determined in the same way as in the previous case, except that Uruguay and Cape Verde would be battling for 2nd place 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, 1st place with Spain is decided by goals scored, or fair play.
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.

The national team’s possible path in the World Cup

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