"Argentina will be the big disappointment of World Cup 2026. They are the reigning champions, but they will not go far," Yanez, a former winger who played 43 matches for the Chile national team, said on Radio Agricultura FM on 12/6.

In the recently started tournament, Argentina is in group J, alongside Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. According to FIFA's pairing system, the top two teams from this group must play crossover matches against two teams from group H, which includes Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde. Spain is considered by bookmakers to be one of the two strongest contenders for the title, along with France. Uruguay previously defeated Argentina 2-0 in the South American qualifiers on Argentina's home ground, Bombonera, in Buenos Aires.

Yanez in his role as a commentator in Chile.

Another significant challenge lies within Argentina's squad. Four years ago, inspired by Lionel Messi, they recovered from an opening match loss to Saudi Arabia to defeat Mexico, Poland (both 2-0, group stage), Australia (2-1, round of 16), Netherlands (5-3 on penalties, quarter-finals), Croatia (3-0, semi-finals), and France (4-2 on penalties, final). During that campaign, Messi scored 7 goals and provided three assists.

Currently, the 38-year-old forward remains central to Argentina's play, but the burden of age is unavoidable.

Therefore, according to Yanez, Argentina is no longer among the world's top teams as they were four years ago, and fans should not expect too much entering a highly competitive tournament. "In terms of football, the tournament features many stronger teams. Argentina might advance through a few rounds, but they will not reach the final as many predict," Yanez added.

Patricio Yanez, born in 1961, was a prominent figure in Chilean football from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. He played 43 matches for the Chile national team from 1979 to 1994, scoring 5 goals, participating in the 1982 World Cup, and finishing as runner-up in the 1979 Copa America.

Messi celebrates during Argentina's 3-0 friendly win over Iceland in the US on 9/6. *Photo: AFP*

History shows only Italy in 1938 and Brazil in 1962 successfully defended the World Cup title. Over the past 24 years, most champions have become significant disappointments in the subsequent tournament. Brazil was eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2006, while Italy (2010), Spain (2014), and Germany (2018) were even knocked out in the group stage. France in 2022 was an exception.

Argentina first defended the World Cup in 1982. After finishing second in group 3 in the first group stage, they lost 1-2 to Italy and 1-3 to Brazil, finishing last in group C in the second group stage. In 1990, they nearly succeeded in defending their title, losing 0-1 to West Germany in the final.

By Thanh Quy (referencing RAFM)