Argentina have produced arguably the two greatest footballers of all-time. They have been perennial sports betting contenders for the World Cup, having only once failed to qualify.
Runners-up in the inaugural tournament in 1930, the South American giants had to wait a few decades before reaching a final again, but they have enjoyed some iconic moments thanks to Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.
Argentina World Cup Wins
Argentina have won the World Cup on three occasions. Their first came in 1978 before a disappointing tournament in 1982.
The 1986 edition saw La Albiceleste become the fourth team in World Cup history to be crowned champions on multiple occasions, following in the footsteps of Uruguay, Italy and Brazil.
Runners-up in 1990 and again in 2014, one of the most passionate fanbases in the world was made to wait until the controversial 2022 World Cup in Qatar for their third title.
Italy, Germany and Brazil (four, four and six respectively) are the only other nations to have won the World Cup more than twice.
1978 Success
Drawn against France and Italy in the initial group stage, Argentina’s route to the 1978 final was not a straight-forward one. They beat Brazil in the second group stage to progress, booking a matchup with Netherlands in the final.
Mario Kempes gave the Argentines a first-half lead, which looked like it might be enough for their first World Cup triumph until Dutch forward Dirk Nanninga equalised with less than 10 minutes left.
Extra time worked out in the favour of Argentina – Kempes ran into the box, dodging tackles, and got several lucky bounces to deflect the ball into the net.
Daniel Bertoni netted a third goal for Argentina in the second half of extra time. The host nation got their first taste of World Cup glory and didn’t have to wait long for another reason to celebrate…
1986 Success
With Diego Maradona at the peak of his powers, Argentina were among the football betting favourites ahead of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. They beat South Korea and Bulgaria and drew with Italy in the group stage to progress as group winners.
Uruguay were seen off 1-0 in the round of 16. One of the world’s biggest football stadiums hosted Argentina and England for the quarters.
Maradona delivered a moment of controversy in the 51st minute with the ‘Hand of God’, and then produced the Goal of the Century four minutes later, dribbling past five England players before scoring.
Maradona scored another brace to defeat Belgium in the last four. The final against West Germany was one of the greatest matches ever played.
Argentina carried a 2-0 lead with 16 minutes to go, but West Germany scored twice in seven minutes to stun the 114,600 crowd. Maradona wriggled free to slide in Jorge Burruchaga in the 84th minute for the winning goal.
2022 Success
Argentina made hard work of a group with Saudi Arabia, Poland and Mexico, yet still qualified for the round of 16. The pressure was on in Lionel Messi’s last chance at the World Cup, and they had started poorly.
Messi scored his first ever World Cup knockout goal to help see off Australia. In the quarters, La Albiceleste blew a two-goal lead and needed penalties to beat the Netherlands.
A 3-0 semi-final win over Croatia was more routine, and set the tone for a spectacular final against France, which was even more dramatic than the 1986 showpiece.
First half goals from Messi and Angel di Maria set the South Americans up for a win. They were controlling the match, with France limited to very few opportunities. It was in the 80th minute when Les Bleus won a penalty, which Kylian Mbappe converted.
Less than two minutes later, Mbappe equalised. Argentina were shellshocked. France then had a penalty shout.
Messi scored in the second period of extra time, again seeming to have won it for Argentina. France won another penalty, though, which Mbappe scored to complete the second ever World Cup final hat-trick.
Further drama followed before the penalty shootout.
Messi then scored the first spot kick, and Argentina converted all four of their penalties. Emiliano Martinez was the hero, saving Kingsley Coman’s effort and playing mind games with Aurélien Tchouaméni, causing the Real Madrid midfielder to blast wide.
Argentina won the shootout and Messi finally got his hands on the trophy.
How many World Cup finals have Argentina played in?
Argentina have played in six World Cup finals, winning three and losing three. That is the fifth-most World Cup final appearances behind Germany, Brazil, Italy and France.
Since winning in 1986, Argentina have reached four World Cup finals, which is the joint-most over that period with Germany and France.
Argentina beat West Germany in 1986 before losing to the same opponents in 1990. They lost again to Germany in 2014 and defeated France on penalties in 2022.
How many Copa Americas have Argentina won?
Argentina have won 15 Copa Americas, the most recent of which came in 2021.
La Albiceleste had suffered a drought by their standards, having not won the tournament since 1993 (they were runners-up four times in that period).
They hold the record for the most Copa America tournament wins (15) and the most Copa America final appearances (29).
In the all-time Copa America table, Argentina have amassed the most wins (128) and overall points (425). Their +292 goal difference is far clear of the next highest.
How many Champions Leagues has Messi won?
Lionel Messi has four won Champions Leagues, all of which came during his decorated, dominant era with Barcelona.
The first was in 2005-06, followed by two in three years in 2009 and 2011 before his final Champions League win in 2015.
Messi was named Man of the Match in the 2011 final, and won Fans’ Man of the Match in 2009. He did not feature in the matchday squad for the 2005-06 final.
Only Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored more Champions League final goals.
How many World Cup finals did Maradona play in?
Diego Maradona played in two World Cup finals, lifting the trophy in 1986 and losing to West Germany in 1990.
Maradona was marked tightly by Lothar Matthäus, one of the greatest Bundesliga players ever, in the 1986 match, but was able to get enough space and time to create the winning goal.
Maradona was named El Mundo’s South American Footballer of the Year six times between 1979 and 1992.
He received the Golden Ball for his showings at the 1986 World Cup, and was a two-time winner of the Onze d’Or.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
