Lionel Scaloni’s renewal puts him on course to break a historic record as Argentina coach

Lionel Scaloni’s renewal does not only secure Argentina’s coach for the next cycle, it also opens the door to making history from the bench. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed on Thursday, through its president Claudio Tapia, that the coach will continue through 2030, and has put him on course for a mark that no Argentine coach has achieved before.

If Scaloni remains in charge until the 2030 World Cup, he will become the first coach to lead Argentina at three World Cups: Qatar 2022, the 2026 edition in North America, and the Centenary World Cup in 2030.

In doing so, he would surpass the marks of César Luis Menotti, who coached the team in 1978 and 1982, and Carlos Bilardo, who did so in 1986 and 1990, both with two tournaments each.

The record comes after a 2026 World Cup that ended in heartbreak, with Argentina losing the final against Spain on July 19, a result that left his continuity in doubt. “The blow of not having won the final was hard, and the first thing that comes to your mind is to think about what to do, see what comes and try to recharge your batteries,” Scaloni explained at the final press conference.

Almost four months after the final at MetLife Stadium, Scaloni has finally decided to accept the offer to stay on as coach and will look to keep making history with Argentina.

Scaloni’s résumé: the records he holds and the ones he chases

Few coaches have built a case as strong as Scaloni’s. In 107 matches in charge of Argentina, he has recorded 79 wins, 18 draws, and 10 losses, and he has won four official titles: the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima, the 2022 World Cup, and the 2024 Copa America. That puts him in second place among Argentina’s most successful coaches by trophies, tied with Alfio Basile and behind Guillermo Stabile, who won seven.

Some of those marks already belong to him. Scaloni is the coach who has directed the most World Cup matches (13) and won the most (10) in Argentina’s history and he also led the team through a 36-game unbeaten streak between 2019 and 2022, which surpassed the previous record of 31 held by Basile’s team. The run only ended in the opening match of the Qatar World Cup, a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia.

Stabile’s numbers, however, remain within reach. Scaloni needs five more wins to become the coach with the most victories in the history of the national team and he needs 18 more matches to surpass the 124 that Stabile directed, something he could achieve as early as the 2028 Copa America.

With his contract now running through 2030, Scaloni has the time and the tournaments to turn those pursuits into reality. To match Stabile’s seven titles, he would need to win the 2028 Copa America and the 2030 World Cup, and also the Finalissima against Spain, a title that for now remains pending.