Domestic action came to a halt shortly after it began weeks ago. Players will fly to their respective nations for the obligatory international break. Among the exciting fixtures lined up, we see the clash of South American titans, with Lionel Messi‘s Argentina locking horns against Chile on Thursday, September 5 at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires for the FIFA World Cup 2026 CONMEBOL qualifiers.

The CONMEBOL qualifiers will choose six World Cup entrants from a pool of ten South American teams- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Alongside, it will also award one ticket to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament. Each nation will play the nine others in home and away matches. The top six teams after 18 rounds will qualify for the FIFA World Cup 26. The seventh-placed finishers will go into the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.

The FIFA Play-Off Tournament will see six sides fight for the final two places at the 23rd FIFA World Cup. It will involve two teams from CONCACAF and one team apiece from the AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC. The four lowest-ranked nations will meet in bracket semi-finals. Out of that, the two highest-ranked teams will go directly into the finals. The winners of the two bracket finals will reach the FIFA World Cup 26.

Among the ten participating teams, Argentina and Brazil are within the top 5 in the current FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, with 1st and 3rd positions, respectively. Chile sits at 32, whereas Bolivia has the lowest ranking of 83.

Argentina comes in a fresh mood again. The World Champions successfully managed to maintain their dominance by lifting their 15th Copa America in July by clinching a narrow win over Columbia. They currently sit at the top of the World Cup qualifiers table with 15 points, enjoying a 2-point lead over Uruguay.

Meanwhile, Chile endured a poor Copa America campaign. They failed to even cross the group stages, drawing to Peru and Canada, while narrowly losing out to Argentina. They would be desperate to make it to the 2026 World Cup as La Roja hasn’t qualified for the prestigious tournament since the 2014 edition.

Argentina vs Chile: Team news

Argentina

Lionel Messi would be the biggest absentee. The Argentinian superstar is still nursing his ankle injury which he sustained during the Copa America final. The absence has been so long that he is closing in two months of not donning his domestic side’s jersey. While the past few weeks saw him train alone, he finally joined his Inter Miami teammates for a group session. Yet, that wasn’t enough for him to be called up by Scaloni.

Either way, even if he would have been fit, the MLS side would have insisted him to stay and take a precautionary rest after a hectic Copa America schedule. Notably, La Pulga isn’t alone as Nicolas Tagliafico and Leonardo Balerdi are also out because of injury. Sadly, Ángel Di María and Franco Armani won’t be seen donning the white and blue as both have retired from international duty.

Chile

Chile also bid an emotional farewell to their veteran Claudio Bravo after the 41-year-old goalkeeper announced his retirement from international football. While Alexis Sanchez and Diego Valdes are sidelined because of injuries, notable names like Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel, and Francisco Sierralta have been excluded from the trip to Argentina.

Expected lineups

Argentina [4-4-2]: E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Li. Martinez, Barco; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Gonzalez, La. Martinez, Alvarez

Chile [4-3-3]: Arias; Isla, Lichnovsky, Maripan, Mena; Nunez, Pulgar, Echeverria; Osorio, Vargas, Brereton Diaz

Head-to-head stats and prediction

Total matches: 96

Won by Argentina: 63

Won by Chile: 8

Draw: 25

Last match: June 25, 2024 in Copa America. Argentina won 1-0

Argentina is in sublime form and will look to clinch a victory over a clumsy Chile. Even though Lionel Scaloni’s side doesn’t have the likes of Lionel Messi or Angel Di Maria, expect the World Champions to be at their best. We reckon the score will be Argentina 2-1 Chile.

Watch Argentina vs Chile on TV channel and live stream

Argentina vs Chile will kick off at 21.00. p.m. Fans in the United States can catch the action live on Fox Sports. Meanwhile, the livestream is available on Fubo TV.