Scaloni's future: AFA Committee's backing for his renewal and the coach's stance
At Wednesday's CE meeting, there was unanimous approval to extend the National Team's most successful period. Although the Gringo said he would not continue after December, the door to keeping him until 2030 is open.
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NATIONAL TEAM
Scaloni's future: AFA Committee's backing for his renewal and the coach's stance
At Wednesday's CE meeting, there was unanimous approval to extend the National Team's most successful era. Although the Gringo said he wouldn't continue after December, the door to have him until 2030 is open.
Tapia and Scaloni.
By Nico Berardo
05/08/2026 18:55hs.
When Lionel Scaloni confided to Olé that “I'll be here until December and then I'll surely cut ties,” the coach raised an alarm regarding his continuity at the helm of the National Team's most successful period. However, AFA is hopeful of ensuring that the "surely cut ties" expressed by the Gringo after the World Cup final is shelved and that – through negotiations – an agreement can be reached for the coach's contract extension. In this context, the Executive Committee gave institutional backing to Claudio Tapia this Wednesday for the AFA president to deepen conversations about the renewal.
In the Viamonte offices, they consider that Scaloni is the ideal coach to lead the process before the World Cup that will be organized between Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. That his knowledge of the group he formed and which he has already begun to renew - with clear indications in the list of the World Cup runner-up - is invaluable, especially because from now on there will be much deeper changes. Furthermore, Lionel Messi has not confirmed how much longer he will remain linked to the senior team, Nicolás Otamendi has bid farewell to the Albiceleste, and the cycles of multiple champions will also be coming to an end.
The National Team will reconfigure itself. Also its leaderships, its morphology after Leo, which will arrive at some point. For popular support, for accolades, and for his leadership style, Scaloni has the consensus of all Argentine football. The CE merely ratified this support in an official setting during a tribute to Argentina in Ezeiza (there was also recognition for the referees who were at the World Cup). But what will the coaching staff do? What are they thinking?
Scaloni, in Pujato (Marcelo Carroll).
Scaloni, during his visit to Pujato (Marcelo Carroll).
Until that late afternoon on July 19 in New Jersey, Scaloni always showed himself open and amenable to the idea of continuing to lead the National Team, even though he never confirmed he would. "I have the best relationship with the president, and if I have to sit down and talk, I will sit down and talk. I have no problems. I'm fine here, as I've been saying. We will surely talk," he said in September of last year, emphasizing that he didn't want to look beyond immediate goals.
The coach, in fact, admitted on several occasions the value of the position he has held since 2018 – it will be eight years in a month – and even admitted that the day he left the National Team he would "regret it." However, for his contract extension to be signed – the coach does not rule it out, despite that phrase – some steps must be taken. First, the coach will seek to conduct an introspective analysis – something similar to what he did between 2023 and 2024, after the title in Qatar – to convince himself that the context is right. But contractual topics that are still unresolved will also have to be addressed.
For now, AFA also knows this: this Scaloni is not the same one who arrived in 2018, nor the one who renewed in 2024. His greatest virtue is having been the architect of this winning foundation. And that carries weight: something that was expressed internally within the squad after the World Cup was the importance of maintaining the team spirit to sustain success beyond the change of names. The coach is part of that idiosyncrasy.
Furthermore, if he continues, Scaloni will be the first coach in the history of the National Team to manage three World Cups. Neither Carlos Salvador Bilardo nor César Luis Menotti, the two World Cup champions who preceded LS, managed to be in three FIFA tournaments. A prestige that counts. And that has led this CT to be valued by everyone. He has internal support. And also the public's. Will it happen?
Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Professional Football League (AFA press).
Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Professional Football League (AFA press).
Topics featured in this note:
Argentina National Team
Lionel Scaloni
Olé
Claudio Tapia
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