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| Lionel Messi and Neymar | Photo: Reuters |
The World Cup football, Argentina and Brazil are usually the first teams that come to mind. The question is, how much time will these two teams have to prepare for the World Cup this year? Will they get enough matches to prove themselves?
The new year 2025 has begun after 2024. In the meantime, two years have passed since Lionel Messi's Argentina won the World Cup. There are now about a year and a half or 18 months left until the 2026 World Cup begins. The year that has just begun is quite important for the teams, with the upcoming World Cup in mind. This year will basically set the tone for the World Cup. The title-seeking teams are also getting this one year to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Both Argentina and Brazil will play six matches each in World Cup qualifiers this year. Argentina has already come a long way on its way to playing in the World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Argentina currently leads the table with 25 points from 12 matches. Argentina is five points ahead of second-placed Uruguay. As a result, the challenge for Argentina is not so much to secure a World Cup ticket as to maintain momentum.
Despite being at the top, Lionel Scaloni's team has been struggling towards the end of the year. They have won two of their last five matches, lost two and drawn one. There is also the issue of getting Messi fit again. The new year is also important for Argentina in another way. They will have to adjust their team composition with the upcoming matches this year.
This year, Argentina will play their first two World Cup qualifiers in March. Both matches will be tough. They will face Uruguay on March 20 and then face arch-rivals Brazil on March 25. It remains to be seen whether Argentina can start the year well by winning these two great test matches.
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| Brazil-Argentina to face off match in March | Photo: AFP |
In addition to the World Cup qualifiers, the world champions will have the opportunity to play friendlies in October and November. Although the opponents and venue for those matches have not yet been decided. Argentina, however, is scheduled to compete for another title this year.
In the final match, Copa America champions Argentina will face Euro champions Spain. The date of the match has not yet been decided due to the busy schedule. Argentina is also the current champion of the competition. They won the title by defeating Italy at Wembley in 2022.
Even though the World Cup is a year and a half away, Brazil's situation is not good at all. One after another, the team has become a skeleton of tradition. The team, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Qatar World Cup, has suffered severely for two years. Even if the World Cup had been held under the previous rules, it would have been challenging for the team to pass the qualifying round.
Brazil is currently ranked 5th in the World Cup qualifying points table. They have 18 points from 12 matches with 5 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses. In such a situation, there is no doubt about playing in the World Cup, but there are many questions about the preparation. Despite a good start under Darival Jr., the 5-time world champions quickly lost their way. They also had to leave the Copa America in disgrace.
Now, the team will have to forget all the failures and focus on this year. They will have to get back into rhythm with the remaining 6 matches of the World Cup qualifiers and also fix the team's coordination. Although there is no shortage of stars in the team, bringing out the best in everyone is a big challenge for Darival.
Like Argentina, Brazil will play their first two World Cup qualifiers in March. They will face Colombia on March 20 and Argentina on March 25. They will then face Ecuador on June 4 and Paraguay on June 9. Brazil will face Chile in a World Cup qualifier on September 9. Brazil will then play its final World Cup qualifier against Bolivia on September 14. They are also scheduled to play friendlies in October and November.