Lionel Scaloni‘s future with Argentina has been one of the lingering questions since the end of the World Cup, and the AFA has now taken the first concrete step toward resolving it. The federation confirmed that formal renewal talks are underway with the coach, whose current contract runs out in December.
The AFA confirmed that talks have begun between president Claudio Tapia and Scaloni over extending his contract, sharing the news alongside a photo of the two together at Argentina’s training facility in Ezeiza.
“Talks have begun between AFA president Claudio Tapia and national team coach Lionel Scaloni regarding the renewal of his contract in charge of the Albiceleste squad,” the federation’s official account posted.
Speaking earlier in the week, before the meeting was officially confirmed, Scaloni revealed that a planned sit-down with Tapia had already been delayed once by an unexpected dentist appointment.
“As for my situation, there’s no news yet. I’ll meet with the president in the coming days. Yesterday we were supposed to meet, but I had a problem, I had to go to the dentist and we couldn’t. Today he’s in Paraguay, we’ll talk,” Scaloni said at the time, adding that there were still several matters the two needed to discuss in person before anything could be decided.
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A two-year offer on the table
The update comes after reports that the AFA had reportedly tabled a two-year proposal with an option to extend through the 2030 World Cup, reflecting the federation’s confidence in tying down the coach who delivered Argentina’s third World Cup title and three major trophies in as many years.
Scaloni acknowledged that the emotional toll of losing this year’s World Cup final to Spain played into his hesitation to commit right away, saying the blow of falling short of another title “hit hard” even with the tranquility he’s found since.
Despite that disappointment, Scaloni made clear he still considers the Argentina job “a dream place” to be, and the coach’s willingness to keep discussing terms suggests the door remains very much open for an extension.
With the World Cup final loss now processed and Lionel Messi’s farewell window approaching, both sides appear motivated to get a new agreement finalized before his current deal expires in December.
