Argentina vs Uruguay

Estadio Alberto J. Armando forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering 2026 World Cup qualifying encounter between Argentina and Uruguay.

Reigning world champions Argentina come into the 198th edition of the famous Clásico del Río de la Plata in high spirits after winning each of their four 2026 World Cup qualifiers, looking to extend the gap in the 121-year history of this iconic fixture (W97, D52, L62). Lionel Messi’s first-half brace inspired ‘La Albiceleste’ to a 2-0 win at Peru last time out, cementing their place at the top of the CONMEBOL qualifying group as the only nation yet to concede a goal in the current cycle. With the nation’s confidence bursting at the seams after winning all eight internationals in the wake of their 2022 World Cup triumph, Lionel Scaloni’s men have set their sights on making it five World Cup qualifying victories on the trot for the first time in two decades.

However, if there’s a side capable of knocking Argentina off their perch, it’s Uruguay, who defeated Brazil 2-0 in their last World Cup qualifier to move to second in the table (W2, D1, L1). On top of that, except for a 2-1 defeat to Ecuador, ‘La Celeste’ have scored 2+ goals in their three remaining World Cup qualifying games under new manager Marcelo Bielsa, which bodes well for their bid to penetrate the continent’s best defense. Pulling off an upset in Buenos Aires would still be a massive undertaking, considering the Uruguayans have lost their last three competitive matches against Argentina without scoring. That’s not to mention their underwhelming run of only two wins from their last nine World Cup qualifiers on the road (D3, L4).