According to Olé, Argentina's national team is actively preparing for their first friendly match after the World Cup final. Argentina will face Bolivia at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba. The team is currently in training, head coach Scaloni will hold a press conference, and the starting lineup for the match will be determined before they travel to Córdoba.

Argentina plays first match after World Cup final; Scaloni begins new team rebuilding phase

Seventy-three days after losing to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, Argentina's national team will take the field again. On September 30 at 8:00 p.m. Beijing time (20:00 CEST), Argentina will face Bolivia at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba.

Messi will not be present for this match, while Scaloni will continue leading the team despite uncertainty about his coaching future. After the weekend break, Argentina's team resumed training at the Ezeiza training center on Monday afternoon local time. On Tuesday, Scaloni will attend the pre-match press conference, and after training, the team will travel to Córdoba for final preparations before the friendly.

This marks the beginning of Scaloni's task of rebuilding Argentina's historic squad. Messi and Otamendi are no longer in the squad, and it remains to be seen whether Paredes, who must serve a 10-match ban due to suspension, will be available. Additionally, Scaloni did not call up De Paul and Lo Celso this time.

During Thursday's training session, Scaloni conducted his first starting lineup practice since the World Cup. Martínez is in goal, with a defense consisting of Gómez, Romero, Lisandro Martínez, and Facundo Medina; Palacios pairs with Mac Allister in midfield, Mastantuono and Nico Paz handle attacking organization, and Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez lead the attack.

Notably, Enzo Fernández is not included in this starting lineup after receiving a red card in Argentina's final World Cup match.

Scaloni on contract extension: Willing to continue coaching, but hasn't met with Tapia

Ahead of Argentina's first match after the World Cup final, head coach Scaloni discussed his contract situation. He stated that he has not yet met with Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, and there has been no new progress regarding his future.

Scaloni said: "The week after the final was very special and incredible. I had time to relax a bit and come to terms with the disappointment of not winning the World Cup, but overall, I feel at peace with all the results. Regarding my personal situation, there is no new news. I planned to meet with the president yesterday, but I couldn't because I had to go to the dentist, and today he is in Paraguay. We will communicate, and when there is news to announce, we will tell everyone. Nothing has changed."

Regarding squad changes, Scaloni stated that making personnel adjustments after the World Cup is a natural choice: "The call-up list itself is a signal, which is something every coach would do. After the World Cup, this is the right time to make some personnel changes. There are many young players on the team now, and we are doing the same as in 2018, when we weren't even sure if we would continue coaching. We work for the national team, not for personal gain. Everything takes time, and we hope these young players can establish themselves."

Regarding the World Cup final loss, Scaloni acknowledged: "Not being able to win is a big blow; we were one step away from winning the World Cup again. But my current position is a dream, and that won't change."

He also stated that he still needs to communicate with Tapia: "I need to sit down and talk with the president, but that hasn't happened yet. Therefore, other claims circulating are not true; everything is as it was before, and our current task is to give these young players the opportunity to play."

Finally, Scaloni directly stated that he still has the desire to continue coaching: "I very much want to stay here, but there are many aspects that need to be discussed, and I need to sit down and talk with the president. After such a special World Cup, one always reconsiders many things, and we will see what happens next."

Scaloni also spoke about Messi's absence from the squad this time and expressed his desire to witness the captain's proper farewell.

He said: "I think a player like Messi deserves his own farewell ceremony. I'm doing my part because I want to be there for his goodbye, and I don't know if I will still be here in the future, so we're working together to make this return happen, and he is also making an effort. If we want to pay tribute to him, now is the perfect time to make him feel everyone's love. I spoke with him and hope to convince him to return, because no one knows what will happen in the future, and he understands that. The Argentine Football Association is also making efforts, which is wonderful, and he deserves all of it."

Regarding various "conspiracy theories" circulating, Scaloni responded: "That doesn't make sense..."

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