GROUP A
ARGENTINA (15 Copa wins, last in 2021)
Might Argentina be about to discover that if getting there is hard, staying there is even harder? Lionel Scaloni’s team are reigning Copa and world champions and lead the field a third of the way through the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
A sense of renewal is in the air. This tournament marks the end of the international career of Angel Di Maria, scorer of the goal that won the last Copa and hero of so many big matches, while there is also the ongoing question of how long Lionel Messi will be around. Admittedly not fully fit, he was ineffective in November’s historic victory away to Brazil – and the prospect of building a team without him may well have prompted Scaloni’s post-match musings, since recanted, on stepping down. A replacement must surely be found for Nicolas Otamendi at some point soon, too.
Tim Vickery
ONE TO WATCH
Julian ALVAREZ Broke in during the World Cup as Messi’s strike partner, but can also operate behind the striker as (whisper it) Messi’s long-term replacement.
THE COACH
Lionel SCALONI A cheap stop-gap after Russia 2018 who ended up carrying the team to glory. An amazing story – maybe with more chapters yet to come?
CHILE (2 Copa wins, last in 2016)
The 2016 Copa in the USA is the greatest moment in Chile’s footballing history. Since then, there has been little to celebrate, missing out on two World Cups amid a perennial wait to replace the golden generation.
Ex-Marcelo Bielsa assistant Eduardo Berizzo was an attempt to revive the spark of the era of Bielsa and Jorge Sampaoli, but it proved a failure. He resigned with Chile recording a single win in six rounds of World Cup qualifying.
In has come Ricardo Gareca who right from
