World Cup winner Lionel Scaloni will remain as coach of Argentina until the end of the 2026 World Cup.
The Argentine Football Association and Scaloni confirmed the deal on Monday. They didn’t elaborate.
The 44-year-old Scaloni and AFA president Claudio Tapia met in Paris before the FIFA awards late Monday, when Scaloni was named men’s world coach of the year.
“When trust is high, communication is clear and effective,” Tapia said on Twitter in a post with himself and Scaloni smiling and drinking tea in the French capital. “We continue to trust our project of national teams to Lionel Scaloni, the World Cup-winning coach.”
Scaloni’s contract expired after Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar on Dec. 18. Long negotiations followed.
Scaloni took over at the end of 2018 as a temporary measure and received criticism for his lack of experience. He had never coached a professional team. One year later, the job was permanent.
He guided Argentina to the 2021 Copa America title, the team’s first in 28 years. Captain Lionel Messi and other key players repeatedly said they wanted Scaloni to remain on the job for the 2026 World Cup.
At the awards in Paris, Scaloni said, “The most beautiful thing is making your country happy, your people happy.”
Argentina’s first match since Qatar — and another celebration of the world champion — will be a March 23 friendly against Panama at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
He received the prize at The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in Paris, finishing ahead of finalists Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola in the voting.
The award was voted for by national team coaches, captains, expert journalists, and supporters worldwide.
In guiding Argentina to the promised land of Qatar 2022, Scaloni has ensured legendary status in his home country. Scaloni’s calm, authoritative leadership helped his team swiftly recover from a shock opening-game defeat to Saudi Arabia.
Victories over Mexico and Poland sealed a spot in the Round of 16, and La Albiceleste continued to grow in stature and confidence as the tournament progressed.
He harnessed the emotional energy of Argentina’s frenzied support in Qatar, helping strengthen the connection between fans and players.
His galvanised side overcame Australia, the Netherlands and Croatia on the way to reaching the final. They blended world-class quality with steel, passion and a ferocious will to win.
Holders France stood in the way of sporting immortality, and Scaloni and his team went on to etch their names into the football history books with victory in a spectacular, jaw-dropping final.
“Scaloni has always had a very special personality; the best thing about him is his communication and how he treats the group. He leaves nothing to chance. He shows you every detail, and then it happens.” Lionel Messi, Argentina’s captain.
“Scaloni helped discover players like Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez and Alexis Mac Allister. They have given the team an identity. Above all, he gave Leo Messi playing options he didn’t have at the last World Cup.” Jorge Burruchaga, Argentina 1986 World Cup winner.
“Scaloni was probably the World Cup’s most interventionist coach. He’s worked on various systems, allowing them to shift during games. In terms of individual talent, there were probably five or six teams a level above them, but he constructed a team.” Andoni Iraola, Rayo Vallecano head coach.
