How Argentina Qualified and possible route to the FIFA World Cup 2022 Final

 Argentina last won the World Cup in 1986 under the iconic Diego Maradona as captain.

Diego Maradona holding the FIFA World Cup trophy after winning the final to West Germany.

In Mexico City that year, Argentina defeated West Germany by a score of 3-2. Some individuals believe that Maradona's performances against England in the quarterfinal and Belgium in the semifinal made the tournament most well-known.

Former international player Lionel Scaloni took over as manager after Jorge Sampaoli was ousted following a dismal performance at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The result has been a remarkable turnaround. The new and improved team won the 2022 Finalissima, the Copa America, and went almost three years without losing.

Argentina has Lionel Messi as their team's captain, and it has been over 40 years since they last won the World Cup. Messi already holds Olympic gold medal and Copa America championship. He also nearly won the 2014 World Cup but fell to Germany in the championship match. In what is likely to be his final tournament, superstar Messi will try to end it on a high note by triumphing in Qatar. So, can Messi's tournament a storybook ending?

How did Argentina Qualify for the World Cup 2022?

Lionel Messi's first-half penalty gave Argentina three points to start the world cup 2022 qualifying campaign against Ecuador, extending their unbeaten streak under manager Lionel Scaloni to eight games.

Joquin Correa's late goal empowered Argentina to rally from a deficit and defeat Bolivia for the first time since 2005. This was Argentina's second straight victory.

In the third game against Paraguay, Argentina came back from a goal behind but dropped their first match in a 1-1 this season. Due to a foul committed early in the move, VAR rejected a goal by Messi in the second half.

Nico Gonzalez and Lautaro Martinez scored goals in a convincing victory over Peru. Argentina now lies two points behind leader Brazil in the standings after the victory.

Chile was able to prevent Argentina from winning. Messi got awarded a penalty in the 23rd minute of the game, and he converted it, but Chile countered in the 36th by scoring a goal.

Cristian Romero and Leandro Paredes gave Argentina a 2-0 lead after just 10 minutes, but Colombia fought back and earned a late point due to substitute Miguel Borja. Match resulted in a 2-2 draw.

Against Venezuela, Argentina extended their winning streak to 21 games. Adrian Mertinez was given a straight red for fouling Lionel Messi during the first half, which resulted in Venezuela being reduced to 10 men. Match result: Argentina prevailed 3-1.

With 79 goals and his eighth hat trick for the national side, Lionel Messi has now surpassed Pele as South America's leading international scorer.

Although they draw to Paraguay, Argentina is still undefeated in qualifying despite not scoring in a game against them for the first time since June 2019.

Image source : Evening Standard

When Lionel Messi's pass from 35 metres out into the area managed to sneak into the goal against Uruguay, it was a fluke goal that helped start an easy victory.

Another victory for Argentina over Peru, although they were grateful Yoshimar Yotun's failed penalty because his shot hit the crossbar and went over. After the victory, Scaloni's side trailed the leaders Brazil by three points.

As Uruguay put up a stronger effort than their terrible collapse in October, an early goal from Angel Di Maria was enough to secure three points.

Following the tie with Brazil, the team defeated Chile 2-1 and defeated Colombia 1-0. In the following match, Argentina drew with Ecuador after defeating Venezuela by a score of 3-0.

Argentina's route to the FIFA world cup 2022 final

On paper, Argentina has a rather relaxed group. They will face off with Poland, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's participation in the tournament will mark their sixth appearance. Only once, in 1994, have they, however, managed to get past the group stage. The purpose this time around is to shatter that duck.

Given their role in Germany's elimination from the group stage in 2018, Mexico will present a strong test to Argentina. Raul Jiminez, a forward for Wolverhampton Wanderers, is likely to lead the charge, thus Argentina must be cautious about him. The 31-year-old has 91 games for Mexico and 30 goals to his credit. After suffering a severe head injury in 2020, the idea of guiding his country to a great run in this tournament would be a huge accomplishment for him.

Image source : Eurosport

Poland, like Mexico, will rely on their seasoned center-forward to score against Messi and Argentina. Despite having 76 goals for his nation, Robert Lewandowski has yet to score at a World Cup match. Poland will need that record to improve if they have any aspirations of escaping this group.

Argentina has a strong chance of winning this group. A victory would place them in the round of 16 against the Group D runner-up, which includes France, Australia, Denmark, and Tunisia. They probably want France to win that group so they can avoid the world champions early in the knockout stages and increase their chances of making it to the quarterfinals and beyond.

The draw for their quarterfinal matchup would be doable if they advance past the Round of 16. This time, it would either be the Group A champions or the Group B runners-up.

The Netherlands are the favourite to win Group A and are expected to defeat the Group B runners-up, who may be the USA.

If Argentina wins that, they will probably play either the winner of Brazil vs Spain/Germany in the semifinals, which could be an exciting matchup.

If everyone wins their anticipated games, they might then play any of England, Portugal, France, or Belgium in the championship game.

For neutral spectators, the "best" run would face them against Denmark in the round of 16, the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, Brazil in the semifinals, and either England, Portugal, France, or Belgium in the championship game. Of course, we're waiting for that Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi final!

Messi record at the World Cup

At the World Cup finals, Messi has always been the center of attraction, which he often enjoys, while his colleagues frequently exhibit the opposite behaviour on the grandest platform.

Messi led them to the 2014 final and was named player of the tournament in Brazil, but it was only a painful consolation as his team lost to Germany in extra time.

He has participated in four World Cups, and this will be his fifth (and he said that his final), making him the only Argentinian player to do so, surpassing Diego Maradona and Javier Mascherano.

He has scored at every World Cup he has played in, with the exception of South Africa 2010, and as of Qatar, he has six goals and five assists in 19 finals appearances.

Last World Cup for Messi

Image source : India Today

Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina, stated on October 6 that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will "definitely" be his final tournament.

Messi, who made his international debut in 2005 as a substitute against Hungary, only played for two minutes before being dismissed, but he quickly made himself a part of the national team and went to Germany for his first World Cup in 2006.

He has 164 caps for Argentina and has scored 90 goals overall, which is a record for the nation. When the tournament finishes in December, Argentina and the rest of the globe may bid farewell to one of football's greatest players. 18 years have passed since Lionel Messi first appeared on the world stage.

He still retains the record for being the youngest player to ever play for Argentina, and he made his World Cup debut in 2006 in Germany. Aside from winning a World Cup, he has accomplished nearly everything a player could wish for in addition to a tremendous club career.

The current team, led by Lionel Scaloni, has gone 35 games without suffering a loss and is expected to be among the pre-tournament favourites.

Argentina's first major tournament victory in 28 years came thanks to Messi, who won the best player award while leading Argentina to the Copa America title last year. Argentina defeated archrival Brazil in the final. For Messi and his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, Qatar will likely be their final opportunity to win the World Cup.

So the World Cup stage prepares to bid Lionel Messi farewell after his spectacular 17-year international career. He's been great to watch in blue and white for almost two decades, but will he get the happy ending that many people want to see for him? When the competition begins, we will know more.