A history of Argentina at the World Cup

Find out about Argentina’s history at the World Cup. Learn about their most famous victories, biggest wins, highest capped players, top scorers, and more!

As the reigning champions of the World Cup, Argentina are a nation with a lot of recent history in the tournament.

But what if we look past their 2022 victory, and dive deeper into the legacy they’ve built? What would we then discover about Argentina’s World Cup campaigns to date?

Read on to learn about their overall record, the number of times they’ve won the World Cup, their best memories, top appearance makers and scorers, and much more!

What is Argentina’s World Cup record?

Argentina have without a doubt been a mainstay at the World Cup over the years, qualifying 19 times, which includes the 2026 edition.

They’re currently on a streak of qualifying for 14 consecutive tournaments, having last not qualified all the way back in 1970!

When looking at all 88 games that they’ve played, they’ve won 47, drawn 17, and lost 24, giving them an impressive win rate of 53.4%.

Argentina have had many successful campaigns, but their best ones were definitely in 1978, 1986, and 2022 when they became champions.

How many times has Argentina won the World Cup?

Argentina recently added to their World Cup total, reaching three victories at the tournament after their win in 2022.

They also impressively reached the final an additional three times in 1930, 1990, and 2014. Sadly, for them, they ended as runners-up in each, but it demonstrates a proven ability for them to go deep into the tournament across history.

A recap of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win

In what’s widely considered to be one of the best finals in history, Argentina’s win over France in the Qatar World Cup in 2022 is one to remember. Considering it’s the last World Cup final we had too, it’s likely fresh in the memory for many fans around the world.

The stage was set: a showdown between Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Kylian Mbappé’s France, putting the two world-class stars and then-PSG teammates against each other in a battle for glory.

Argentina took a 2-0 lead within 36 minutes, following a Messi penalty and a brilliant counterattack finished off by Angel di Maria. Though it was far from over, with an Mbappé double late on in the game bringing the score level and taking the game to extra time in the most spectacular fashion.

Messi got a second in the 108th minute in extra time, before Mbappé completed his hat-trick to make it 3-3 and take the game to penalties.

Despite the heroic efforts of Mbappé and France, Argentina took home the World Cup after Gonzalo Montiel’s penalty sealed their 4-2 win on penalties!

What is Argentina’s record against their group stage opponents?

The group stage for the 2026 World Cup has Argentina facing off against Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.

But to get an idea of how these games may play out, it’s good to view historical matches between the sides and see how Argentina have handled these teams in the past.

Algeria

Argentina have only had one previous matchup with Algeria, taking the form of a friendly match in 2007.

Despite Argentina being more than 60 places higher in the FIFA rankings, the scoreline was a close 4-3 with the South American side only just prevailing. Interestingly Messi scored in this match too, so should he feature in the match again in 2026, he could score another against the same opponent almost two decades later.

Austria

Though they’ve played against each other twice before, Argentina and Austria haven’t faced one another in 36 years. Most recently, their game ended in a 1-1 draw in 1990, but their 1980 matchup saw Argentina win convincingly, with this friendly finishing 5-1 in favour of the South Americans.

Though not having played each other competitively, the results certainly favour Argentina heading into the 2026 World Cup.

Jordan

Jordan and Argentina have never previously played against each other, which sets up a completely new fixture.

Though Argentina will be heavy favourites as they’re second in the FIFA rankings compared to Jordan being 64th, it’ll be an interesting watch nonetheless with it being a never-before-played game.

Iconic Argentina World Cup memories

Having had so many talented players feature in their sides over the years, like the legendary Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, Argentina have been able to accumulate some special memories at the World Cup.

Below are some of their most memorable moments prior to their 2022 win, covering some of the highs and more divisive moments they’ve been involved in:

Hand of God (1986)

As much as Argentina have had some brilliant moments in the World Cup, they’ve also been involved in their fair share of controversy too. The 1986 edition of the tournament saw them placed against England in the quarter-final, where they won 2-1 – but as a result of one of the most controversial goals in World Cup (in fact, football!) history.

Six minutes into the second half, Maradona weaved into England’s half and passed the ball out to Jorge Valdano before a Steve Hodge interception flung it back to Peter Shilton. Maradona contested Shilton, who came to collect the ball from the air, and punched it over the goalkeeper into the net.

Because it happened so fast, the goal was given and allowed Argentina to take a 1-0 lead at the time. Combined with his second goal only minutes later, it was enough to see out the match with Gary Lineker’s late strike only becoming a consolation.

Goal of the Century (1986)

Though Maradona is widely remembered for the ‘Hand of God’ goal in this game, his second of the match was an absolute stunner.

Described as ‘Goal of the Century’, Maradona dribbled from his own half, taking the ball past multiple players, before rounding the goalkeeper and placing it into the back of the net.

This doubled Argentina’s lead in the game and helped to send them on their way to a second World Cup title.

Maradona’s double vs Belgium (1986)

After beating England 2-1, Argentina then met Belgium in the semi-final. But they were no match for Maradona.

He scored two mesmerising goals, with his first being a shot with the outside of his boot, lifting the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper and into the bottom corner. His second was even more special, as he slalomed past the Belgian defenders and smashed it past the keeper to double their lead and secure their place in the final.

Champions for the first time (1978)

Occurring on home soil, Argentina famously won their first ever World Cup in 1978 against the Netherlands. Despite being without Johan Cruyff, the Dutch side was still an extremely tough prospect, but Argentina prevailed.

The game was taken to extra time, but goals from Mario Kempes and Daniel Bertoni saw the Argentine side become victorious for the first time ever.

Victory in Mexico (1986)

Facing off against West Germany was another tough challenge for Argentina, with the European side having stars like Rudi Voller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Lothar Matthaus. Though they looked comfortable, going 2-0 up, Argentina were pegged back by West Germany after conceding twice in the second half.

But the 83rd minute saw the magician Maradona unleash Jorge Burruchaga, who slotted the ball past Harald Schumacher to seal the win for the Albiceleste.

Argentina’s biggest World Cup wins

Looking at some of the elite players who’ve been involved with the Argentinian national team, it’s no shock to find out they’ve managed some impressive winning margins at the World Cup. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest and best results they’ve had throughout their time at the tournament.

6-0 vs Peru (1978)

The first occasion where they managed a six-goal winning margin was in the 1978 second group stage. Despite facing elimination from the World Cup, a win by four goals or more could take them through to the next round.

After putting six past the Peruvian defence, they beat Brazil on goal difference to confirm their spot in the final against the Netherlands. As an aside, this result is surrounded by lots of controversy, with some alleging that Peru faced political pressure to lose!

6-0 vs Serbia and Montenegro (2006)

En route to the last 16, Argentina managed to comprehensively beat Serbia and Montenegro. The goals embodied their flowing style, with some demonstrating a masterclass in passing ability – in particular, their second goal was a result of stringing together an impressive move involving 25 passes!

Players like Messi and Hernán Crespo were bright sparks in the side, both having a great influence on the game. Though only 18 years old, Messi was still able to influence the game as a substitute, providing both a goal and an assist, opening his World Cup account.

4-0 vs Greece (1994)

Batistuta was the star of the show here, netting a hat-trick that stunned the Greek defence. A game that was filled with high energy and dynamism, Argentina demonstrated impressive levels of strategy and skilfulness. The game was also a prime example of the attacking prowess they could offer, with Maradona also featuring and grabbing himself a goal too.

6-3 vs Mexico (1930)

During the first ever World Cup, the group stages saw Argentina come up against Mexico. With nine goals scored, this is one of the highest-scoring matches in World Cup history, writing it into the history books.

Argentina were one of the favourites heading into the tournament, with captain Guillermo Stabile scoring a hat-trick. This contributed to the perfect record they had in the group and helped them on their way to the final where they lost to Uruguay.

Argentina’s biggest World Cup defeats

Though they’ve achieved some dominant and controlling victories, Argentina have also suffered some damning losses too. Here are some of the biggest losses they’ve ever had at the World Cup:

6-1 vs Czechoslovakia (1958)

The group stage of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden saw Czechoslovakia stun Argentina. In a relentless display of attacking dominance, Argentina couldn’t hold off the onslaught from the Czech national team.

Despite hope being provided by a 66th minute penalty scored by Orestes Corbatta, it was only a consolation, as Czechoslovakia scored a further three goals to make it 6-1.

4-0 vs the Netherlands (1974)

The Dutch performance here demonstrated complete dominance, with Johan Cruyff on the scoresheet twice. Argentina, despite playing reasonably themselves, were starstruck by the Dutch and couldn’t do much to stop them. Ruud Krol and Johnny Rep grabbed goals for themselves too, leading to what ended as a comprehensive defeat.

Who has made the most World Cup appearances for Argentina?

Argentina have had multiple players demonstrate a fantastic level of longevity, with some players even attending up to five World Cups! Below, we’ll show you the top appearance makers for Argentina at the tournament, with how many different World Cups that they attended too:

Who has scored the most World Cup goals for Argentina?

The Albiceleste have been fortunate enough to have many top-tier goalscorers over the years and some even play for the national team currently. Here’s a table of Argentina’s players who’ve scored the most at the World Cup.

Notably, if Messi can make it to the World Cup, he’ll certainly hope to extend his lead at the top of both lists.

How to bet on Argentina at the 2026 World Cup

The prospect of betting on the World Cup is electrifying, with many top-tier teams and players battling it out for the most coveted prize in the world. At Betway, you can access a selection of markets, such as tournament winner odds and specific Argentina World Cup betting markets. Head over to the Betway site or use our mobile app through the App Store or Play Store to start your World Cup betting now!