The Argentina national team is looking to correct its course in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when it hosts stubborn Peru in the 12th round.
Argentina will face Peru at dawn tomorrow, Wednesday, Beirut time, at the Monumental Stadium, as part of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which is hosted by the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico, with the participation of 48 teams for the first time.
Argentina leads the qualifying table with 22 points from 11 matches, in which it achieved 7 victories, one draw and 3 defeats, with a difference of 3 points in front of Uruguay and Colombia, its closest rivals.
The Tango dancers suffered a blow in their last match in the qualifiers, losing 1-2 in Paraguay, leaving their lead in the balance during the next rounds.
What does Messi do against Peru?
Despite the speculation surrounding the fate of Messi’s participation in the Peru match, after he got into an argument with the referee of Argentina’s match against Paraguay, and said some words towards him that might expose him to a penalty according to reports, it is so far assumed that he will participate in the match and lead the attacking battalion of tango dancers.
Messi previously faced Peru in 9 matches, during which he scored 3 goals spread over only 2 matches, meaning that he was unable to score in 7 different matches, while he scored one goal, which reflects the difficulty of that confrontation for the flea.
6 of those 9 confrontations ended with Argentina winning, while a draw decided the outcome of the remaining 3 confrontations.
Messi’s last goal was against Peru in the fourth round match of the current World Cup qualifiers, where he scored the 2-0 winning goals in the 32nd and 42nd minutes of the match that was held on October 18, 2023 outside Argentina.
The Peruvian national team occupies ninth place in the qualifiers after achieving only one victory in 11 matches, which came at the expense of Uruguay with a goal without a response, compared to 4 draws and 6 defeats, to obtain 7 points.
The only point the Peruvian team collected away from home was a goalless draw in the first round of qualifiers with Paraguay, which inflicted a third defeat on Argentina in the 11th round.
“Angry words” threaten Messi with suspension
In addition, Messi became in trouble, after he attacked the Brazilian referee, Anderson Daronco, during the last tango dancers’ match in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The Argentina national team lost to Paraguay with a score of 1-2 in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup at the Defensores del Chaco stadium.
The most prominent moment in the match was when Messi became angry at referee Anderson Daronco at halftime, objecting to Paraguay defender Omar Al-Dirietti not granting the second yellow card following a strong intervention against him.
An online video clip captured the American captain of Inter Miami approaching the referee and shaking his finger repeatedly in his face, before telling him: “You are a coward, and I do not like you,” and he continued to scream even as he left the field.
According to the Spanish newspaper “AS”, Messi’s anger could be the subject of punishment, as FIFA regulations stipulate that the player may be subject to disciplinary measures if he is found to have used “gestures, gestures, or offensive language” on the field.
According to the same law, Messi may face a ban for at least 4 matches, or a longer penalty, if he is convicted of harassing the referee.
The law states: “If a player is found guilty of harassing a referee, he shall be suspended for at least 4 games or an appropriate period of time for unsportsmanlike conduct, or at least 10 games or an appropriate period of time for intimidating or threatening a referee.”
It is noteworthy that the Argentine national team will play its next match at home against Peru tomorrow, Wednesday, and it awaits fiery confrontations in March of next year, when it will play outside its stadium against Uruguay, before hosting Brazil a few days later.
