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Argentina at the World Cup

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.



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