Buenos Aires is taking its breath after a World Cup that ended one match short of another crown. Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the 2026 final has left Lionel Scaloni considering the next stage of his tenure, with the coach stressing that he remains willing to discuss a new agreement once he and Argentine FA president Claudio Tapia can meet.
Scaloni said the days following the tournament had been emotionally heavy but necessary. The disappointment of missing out on the trophy remains, he explained, although it is tempered by the knowledge that his squad gave everything in the campaign. For the 2022 World Cup-winning coach, the job with Argentina is still the position he always wanted; no decision, however, has yet been taken on his future.
There has been no formal conversation with Tapia because the federation president is currently in Paraguay. Scaloni said both sides are fully prepared to sit down, but noted that a renewal involves several matters that need to be discussed after such an intense tournament. Until an announcement is made, he insisted, the situation is unchanged and the staff’s attention is on the next matches.
New faces after the final in Spain
The upcoming programme will bring Argentina together with Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin, offering Scaloni an opportunity to begin a measured transition rather than dismantle the side that reached another global final. Giovani Lo Celso and Rodrigo De Paul are among the prominent players absent from the wider preparations, with both expected to feature only in Lionel Messi’s farewell fixture.
Scaloni sees the post-World Cup moment as a suitable time to introduce younger players. Much of the established group remains young enough to continue, but he compared the approach to the rebuilding work undertaken in 2018, when the coaching staff began bringing in fresh faces without certainty over its own long-term position.
The principle, he said, is to serve the national team rather than personal ambitions. The new call-ups may need time to settle, but the intention is for some of them to earn lasting places in Argentina’s plans.
Messi’s farewell has become the emotional centre of the next gathering. Scaloni said he personally worked to help make the occasion happen, mindful that he may not be in charge later and aware of the circumstances surrounding the captain. Despite those matters, Messi wanted to come and say goodbye in front of Argentina supporters.
For Scaloni, the tribute belongs in the present rather than at a distant date. Messi deserves the recognition now, he believes, while the connection between the player and the public remains so immediate. In the wake of the final loss to Spain, Argentina’s next window will therefore carry two different tasks: giving thanks to its defining modern footballer and beginning the search for the players who can follow him.
