Argentina’s World Cup-winning coach Lionel Scaloni has signed a new contract until 2026, as announced by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) on Monday.
Scaloni, whose contract expired after Argentina’s triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, will remain with the Albiceleste until the next World Cup, which will be held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The former Argentine international agreed to the new deal while attending the FIFA Best Awards in Paris, where he eventually won the honour of coach of the year, beating Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid’s Carlo Anclelotti
Lionel Scaloni: #TheBest FIFA Men’s Coach 2022 👏 pic.twitter.com/j6HyKopWnw
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) February 27, 2023
The 44-year-old, along with former Benfica midfielder Pablo Aimar, took over as caretaker managers for Argentina in 2018 following their disappointing outing at the World Cup in Russia.
However, Scaloni was confirmed as the head coach in November of the same year, on a six-month contract, and he led the Albiceleste to a third-place finish at the 2019 Copa America tournament.
Two years later, he guided Argentina to their first title in 28 years, defeating hosts Brazil 1-0 in the 2021 Copa America final. Furthermore, he led them to a 3-0 victory over European champions Italy at Wembley Stadium in the 2022 Finalissima.
In Qatar, despite Argentina losing their first match in a shocking 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, Scaloni galvanized his side and led them to a historic triumph as they won the nation’s third World Cup and their first in 36 years by defeating France on penalties.
Argentine FA President Claudio Tapia revealed his and the country’s trust in Scaloni with a post on his official social media channel.
It read: “When trust is high, communication is clear and effective.”
“We continue to trust our project of national teams to Lionel Scaloni, the World Cup winning coach.”
Cuando la confianza es alta, la comunicaciĂłn es sencilla y efectiva.
Seguimos afianzando el proyecto de selecciones nacionales, junto a Lionel Scaloni, el DT campeón del mundo 🏆🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/KCMkHA5Otv
— Chiqui Tapia (@tapiachiqui) February 27, 2023
The reigning FIFA Best coach will be in the dugout for the first time since Argentina’s heroics in Qatar when they take on Panama in a friendly match at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on March 23.
