Qatar World Cup: Argentina among the favorites with Messi, Di Maria

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Argentina is among the favorites to lift the trophy at the Qatar-held World Cup as superstar Lionel Messi will be making his final appearance in the tournament.

Argentina has won the World Cup twice, in 1978 and 1986 - and now, they are looking for another achievement.

The team has talented and impressive players aplenty, such as Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez, Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala. 

Buenos Aires has recently finished the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification as runners-up with 39 points - 6 points behind Brazil after 17 matches. 

Its players have also been assigned: 

Goalkeepers:

Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal), Franco Armani (River Plate)

Defenders:

Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Marcos Acuna (Sporting CP), Nicolas Tagliafico, (Lyon), Juan Foyth (Villarreal)

Midfielders:

Rodrigo De Paul, (Atletico Madrid), Leandro Paredes (Juventus), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton & Hove Albion), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Alejandro Gomez (Sevilla), Enzo Fernandez (Benfica), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen)

Attackers:

Angel Di Maria (Juventus), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Joaquin Correa (Inter Milan), Paulo Dybala (AS Roma), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain).

Other teams 

Saudi Arabia failed to qualify for the World Cup tournaments in 2010 and 2014. However, they will be making their sixth appearance at the World Cup since 1994. 

In terms of Mexico, the Mexican national team, now managed by Gerardo Martino, has qualified for 16 World Cup tournaments.

Mexico's best performances were in 1970 and 1986 after they advanced to the quarterfinals. 

Russia has been kicked out by FIFA over the war in Ukraine. 

Poland, in contrast, which earned a free pass through the playoff semifinals, got a 2-0 victory against Sweden to achieve a ticket to the World Cup. Poland won third place in the 1974 and 1982 World Cups, reaching the knockout stage in 1986.

The 64 matches will take place at eight venues, including Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Stadium 974, Education City Stadium, and Al Janoub Stadium.