Argentina Draws Favorable Path to the World Cup Semifinals

Argentina, the defending world champion, still dreams of winning the World Cup for a second straight time, something only two teams have ever done. Even with a less glamorous squad than in the past and Lionel Messi now 39, the bracket appears unusually kind to Lionel Scaloni’s side.

On Saturday, the draw set up what could be Argentina’s easiest possible route into the knockout rounds. First comes Cape Verde, the smallest country ever to reach the knockout stage, with just over 500,000 residents. The surprise team of the tournament held Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to draws, but Argentina is still expected to advance to the round of 16.

If Argentina gets through, its next opponent would be the winner of Australia against Egypt. A quarterfinal would also look manageable, with Switzerland, Iran, Colombia or Croatia as possible rivals. That means Argentina’s first real heavyweight clash may not come until the semifinals. The article says anything less than reaching the semifinals would be a surprise.

By comparison, Argentina’s biggest threats on its side of the draw are Brazil and England. Brazil opens against Japan and could then meet Ivory Coast or Norway, while England must avoid an upset against Senegal before possibly facing Mexico or Ecuador in the round of 16. On the other side, Spain could face Portugal or Ghana in the round of 16 after starting against Austria or Algeria, and France would open against Sweden before potentially meeting Germany or Paraguay.