2026 World Cup: Ian Wright explains why Argentina may fail to defend title

Former Arsenal and England striker, Ian Wright, has cast doubt on Argentina’s chances of retaining the FIFA World Cup, insisting that the reigning champions have shown weaknesses that other teams can exploit.

Wright made the remarks after Argentina survived a major scare against Cape Verde in their Round of 32 clash, eventually securing a hard-fought 3-2 victory after extra time.

The South American giants began the match brightly, with captain Lionel Messi opening the scoring in Miami.

However, Cape Verde refused to be intimidated by the defending champions and fought back through Deroy Duarte, whose goal brought the African side level and forced the contest into extra time.

Argentina regained the lead when defender Lisandro Martínez found the net, but Cape Verde once again responded in impressive fashion. Sidny Cabral produced a superb strike to make it 2-2, raising hopes of one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.

With penalties looming, Argentina finally found the breakthrough in the 111th minute, scoring the decisive goal that booked their place in the Round of 16. Despite progressing, the performance left many observers questioning whether Lionel Scaloni’s side have what it takes to successfully defend the title they won four years ago.

Speaking on ITV, Wright said Argentina’s display against Cape Verde exposed several shortcomings that stronger opponents could take advantage of in the later stages of the competition.
According to the former striker, Cape Verde demonstrated that Argentina are far from unbeatable.

He argued that any team capable of matching the African nation’s intensity and determination, while possessing greater attacking quality, could knock the Albiceleste out of the tournament.

Wright particularly highlighted Argentina’s vulnerability in wide areas, suggesting that opponents can create problems by attacking down the flanks.
“Argentina are there to be beaten,” Wright said. “If you can give the same kind of endeavour we saw Cape Verde give, but you have more quality in the final third, then Argentina are there to be beaten. I think in the wide areas they are very weak. You can get at them in those areas.”

His comments come at a time when expectations remain high for Argentina, largely due to the presence of Messi and several experienced players who were part of the country’s World Cup-winning squad. However, their narrow escape against Cape Verde has raised concerns about their defensive solidity and overall balance.

While Argentina have successfully advanced to the Round of 16, Wright believes the team will need significant improvement if they are to overcome the stronger sides remaining in the competition and lift the trophy once again.

The former Arsenal star warned that future opponents will closely study Cape Verde’s performance as a blueprint for how to trouble the reigning world champions.