The defending champion’s slow-start curse—was losing to Saudi Arabia in 2022 not painful enough?

Argentina has a somewhat unflattering “tradition”—the reigning champions tend to get an easy early tumble in their opening match. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Argentina, wearing the hat of heavy favorites, saw their group-stage opener reversed 2-1 by Saudi Arabia. That game shocked the entire world and nearly knocked Argentina out in the group stage.

Four years later, will the same script play out again? Ahead of the match, Scaloni repeatedly emphasized “calm,” “we neither look down on others nor feel inferior.” This kind of mental preparation is necessary, but it also reveals the coaching staff’s clear-eyed forecast of just how tough the first game could be.

Yesterday, Spain were held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde—an all-timer “World Draw Day.” Will the atmosphere of strong teams collectively starting slowly be contagious for Argentina? It’s very possible. When players see Spain hammering out 27 shots but not scoring a single goal, it’s hard for the psychology not to be affected—“If even Spain are like this, what about us…?”

But I think Argentina is different from Spain. Spain lacks a superstar who can decide the game with a single strike. Argentina has Messi. As long as Messi is on the pitch, Argentina will always have a chance to break the deadlock. After losing to Saudi Arabia in 2022, Messi led the team all the way to the final. This experience alone is the most precious kind of wealth—he knows how to come through adversity.

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