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Argentina may have qualified for the 2026 World Cup earlier in the day with Uruguay drawing with Bolivia, but that didn’t mean that they were going to let up facing rivals Brazil in the Superclasico de las Americas, even without injured star Lionel Messi. Goals from Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernadez within the first 12 minutes pushed Lionel Scaloni’s men out to a two-goal lead on their way to a dominant 4-1 victory, becoming the first team ever to score four goals against Brazil in World Cup qualifying. It’s also the first time they’ve scored four against Brazil in an official match since the 1959 Copa America.

Not having Messi (injury) wouldn’t stop Argentina from showing off their attacking skills, as the midfield of Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister wasted no time getting into the box with Brazil’s defense falling asleep multiple times during the match. Brazil coach Dorival Junior has been trying to find a balance with this Brazil side, and while it felt like they were improving with a 2-1 victory over Colombia in World Cup qualifying, it’s clear that Argentina are on a different level, catching their neighbors sleeping time and time again. 

The reigning World Cup champions, La Albiceleste, who won at Uruguay 1-0 on Thursday, play most of their matches with immense pressure on them, but on Tuesday at the Monumental, it was a party from start to finish. Coming in already qualified for the World Cup to scoring four minutes in and even seeing talented youngster Nico Paz make his return to the national team, there was plenty to celebrate on Tuesday, while their rivals will need to pick up the pieces from this loss as they look for consistency. 

No Messi, no problem

Argentina flexed their depth with not only Messi missing out but also striker Lautaro Martinez who had to withdraw from the squad with an injury. He was in the thoughts of players with Alvarez and Fernandez both doing his celebration when they scored but it’s clear how much of a team effort this was. Each of their four goals was scored by a different player. Some of the goals were due to defensive breakdowns by Brazil but those were also caused by Argentina’s smooth passing which even allowed left back Nicolas Tagliafico to get involved with an assist. 

One of the impressive things about this qualifying campaign for Argentina is that Scaloni has used time to get younger players like Thiago Almada and Paz involved which are things that could pay dividends come World Cup time. Messi can’t play soccer forever so being able to bring along the next generation now is important. 

With Mac Allister scoring the third in the first half and Giuliano Simeone adding the fourth in the second half, it was a match where everybody seemed to offer something.

Where do Brazil go from here?

From as high as the Colombia victory was for Brazil, this match will sit with them for a while. Not only losing to your rivals but also allowing four goals for the first time in World Cup qualifying, it’s a moment to forget for the Seleção. Michael Murillo was withdrawn at half, being replaced in defense by Leo Ortiz, but that didn’t improve their fortunes. Even with members of the national team who are performing well for their club sides, it didn’t translate to the pitch for Brazil. It has been a common issue for the national team, seeming like a collection of individuals instead of a team and that won’t defeat sides like Argentina. 

With the talent of players like Raphinha and Vinicius Junior, Brazil should still qualify for the World Cup, but a lot needs to change for this team to have a chance to actually win the 2026 World Cup, which is always the expectation for Brazil. Matheus Cunha scoring was the lone bright spot but more is needed, as is getting healthy with key pieces like Neymar and Gabriel missing out. 

What’s next?

For Argentina, while they’ve qualified for the 2026 World Cup, the summer international window will provide an opportunity to try new things. The June international window will see them travel to Chile before hosting Colombia in a rematch of the Copa America final. For Brazil, they sit fourth in World Cup qualifying but there is a chance that they could miss out on the World Cup overall if their spiral continues. During June, Brazil will travel to Ecuador before hosting Paraguay in matches that could be trickier than they look on paper.