There are ways to arrive, and then there is the way Argentina arrived. Lionel Messi and the reigning World Cup champions touched down in the United States on Sunday aboard a custom jet decked out in a nod to Argentina's 1978 World Cup triumph, and honestly, you have to respect the confidence. Most teams show up quietly, get their heads down, and try not to jinx anything. Argentina rolled in like they already own the place. Which, to be fair, they kind of do right now.
Their first match of the tournament is against Algeria on June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the home ground of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs. It's a proper venue, a brilliant atmosphere, and a genuinely interesting opener. Algeria are no pushovers and will fancy their chances of causing an upset against anyone, even the world champions. But if you're a betting person, you're not rushing to back them against this Argentina side.
Messi is the obvious talking point, as always. The man just keeps going. He won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, ticked off the one thing that was supposedly missing from his legacy, and rather than riding off into the sunset he's turned up in the States ready to do it all again. At his age, with his quality, that is genuinely impressive. Not many players would even bother defending a World Cup title with the same hunger. Messi clearly would find retirement boring.
Argentina as a squad are deep, well-organised under Lionel Scaloni, and have that winning mentality that is incredibly hard to manufacture. They know how to suffer through a tournament and come out the other side. Qatar proved that. The 1978 jet is a nice touch of theatre, but the real statement is simply turning up and being Argentina.
Whether they can go back-to-back is another matter entirely. Plenty of brilliant sides have tried and fallen short. But if anyone looks capable of it right now, it's these lot. The World Cup 2026 just got a little more exciting.
Let me know your thoughts.