Argentina and France are still on course for a 2022 FIFA World Cup rematch at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with both sides moving through the group stage and into bracket position. Argentina have already taken top spot in Group J, while France have secured a place in the Round of 32.
The route is simple in one sense and unforgiving in another. If both nations win their groups and then clear the Round of 32 and Round of 16, they could meet in either the semi-finals, the third-place match or the World Cup final. If Argentina win their group and France finish second, the semi-final path opens instead.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe
The matchup still carries the weight of the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. Argentina beat France on penalties after a 3-3 draw, with Lionel Messi scoring twice and Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick.
Messi lifted the trophy after Argentina ended a 36-year wait for the title. France, meanwhile, fell short of becoming the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup crown.
Argentina’s Group J edge
Argentina’s position is already better than France’s. Victories over Algeria and Austria gave them top spot in Group J, which keeps the cleaner path in place if they continue advancing.
France still have one group match left, against Norway, and that result will decide whether they finish first in Group I or drop into the more awkward semi-final route. In a 48-team tournament, that placement matters because the knockout bracket leaves fewer straight-line rematch paths than the old format.
France and Argentina route
That leaves the rematch scenario hanging on two separate finishes. Argentina need to keep winning. France need to finish their group campaign, and the final position in Group I could decide whether the teams stay on opposite sides of the bracket until the late rounds.
For now, the possibility is alive rather than fixed. The 2022 final already delivered 3 goals for Mbappe and 2 for Messi before penalties settled it for Argentina, and the 2026 World Cup could put both forward lines back into the same bracket if the next knockout rounds break the right way.
