Argentina did not need a "preparation phase" for the 2026 World Cup. They are already through to the Round of 32 as Group J winners, unbeaten, and the headline story is not whether the team can survive without Lionel Messi — it's that Messi himself is the one rewriting the record books in real time.
Messi is playing in his sixth World Cup, a men's record for tournament appearances. In the group stage opener against Algeria, a 3-0 win, he scored a hat-trick, drawing level with Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals. Four days later, against Austria, he scored twice more — in the 38th and 95th minutes — to overtake Klose outright and become the leading goalscorer in World Cup history with 18 goals. He was named Man of the Match and became only the third player ever to score in six consecutive World Cup matches.
He turned 39 on June 24, in the middle of the group stage — not off the pitch, but in the thick of preparing for the next match.
With Algeria's win over Jordan sealing the group, Argentina had already clinched first place in Group J before their final group match against Jordan. They sit top of the FIFA world rankings and are chasing a second consecutive title — something only Brazil, in 1958 and 1962, has managed in the men's tournament.
None of this is happening without young players. Several squad members are experiencing their first World Cup at Messi's side this tournament, including Valentín Barco, Facundo Medina, Leonardo Balerdi, Nico Paz, Giovanni Simeone, Nico González and José Manuel López. They aren't replacing Messi — they're sharing the pitch with him, alongside the core group that won in Qatar: Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul and Cristian Romero.
The story of this World Cup, so far, isn't succession — it's a 39-year-old GOAT still breaking records while a new generation grows up around him on the same pitch.