Longest Unbeaten Streak in International Football
Argentina National Football Team close to breaking longest unbeaten record
Argentina's three-year winning streak indicates that Lionel Scaloni's team has played with discipline. Argentina's national football team has won two major titles during this time, the Copa America 2021 and 2022 Finalissima, and has gone undefeated in 34 games. They are currently all set to smash Italy's footballing record for longest undefeated streak.
Argentina's performance from the 2019 Copa America until the present
Argentina's national football team’s unbeaten run in international football started back on July 6th, 2019 Copa America when they beat Chile 2-1 to finish third in the tournament. The Argentina senior men’s team’s last defeat was against arch-rival Brazil in the first semifinal match of the 2019 South American Football Championship. The Selecao overcame the Albiceleste by 2-0 to seal a place in the final.
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Since losing to Brazil in a semifinal contest of the 46th edition of the Copa America, the Argentine national side has remained unbeaten in 34 matches over the last three years. During this period, Argentina won the 2021 Copa America, where they beat the host Brazil in the final by 1-0. They only dropped points against Chile in the first match of the group stage but later went on to win six matches to seal the championship for the first time in 28 years.
On June 1 this year, Argentina's team also registered a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Italy in a one-off Finalissima contest. In the South American World Cup 2022 Qualifier, Argentina managed to win 11 matches and drew 6 in 17. Besides, they have won five and drawn two in international friendly contests. The Albiceleste’s latest victory came against Honduras (3-0) at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on September 23.
How many victories would it take for Argentina to surpass Italy's longest unbeaten streak?
Eight teams have managed to remain undefeated in 30 or more matches in international football. Among them, Italy's and Argentina's national sides have managed to do it twice in their football history.
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The Italian national side recently set a new record by remaining unbeaten in 37 matches from October 2018 to October 2021. It all started when the Azzurri held a 1-1 draw against the Ukrainian national team at home on October 10, 2018.
After remaining undefeated for almost three years, the Italian side eventually suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Spanish national team in a semifinal match of the 2020–2021 UEFA Nations League. Before that, Italy managed to win UEFA EURO 2020 and didn’t lose a game for 37 games to set up a new world record.
Italy's record for the longest unbeaten streak is now in jeopardy, as Argentina is only three matches away from matching it. If Argentina's national men’s football team remains unbeaten in the next four matches, they will set a new record. The Albiceleste’s upcoming football fixtures are comparatively easier in quest for breaking the record.
Argentina’s next five international fixtures
Date: September 28 | Opposition: Jamaica | Start Time: 6 a.m. (BDT)
Date: November 16 | Opposition: United Arab Emirates | Start Time: TBD
Date: November 22 | Opposition: Saudi Arabia | Start Time: 4 p.m. (BDT)
Date: November 27 | Opposition: Mexico | Start Time: 1 a.m. (BDT)
Date: December 1 | Opposition: Poland | Start Time: 1 a.m. (BDT)
Apart from Argentina and Italy, the teams that have more than 30 undefeated winning streaks are Brazil, France, Spain, and Algeria. Here is the list of the longest unbeaten records (at least 30 matches).
The top eight longest unbeaten streaks in football history (as on September 23, 2022)
Team
Games Unbeaten (Win-Draw)
Run Started
Run Ended
Italy
37 (30-7)
10/10/2018
06/10/2021
Algeria
35 (26-9)
18/11/2018
16/01/2022
Spain
35 (32-3)
07/02/2007
24/06/2009
Brazil
35 (28-7)
16/12/1993
21/01/1996
Argentina*
34 (25-9)
02/07/2019
Continue
Argentina
31 (21-10)
20/02/1991
15/08/1993
France
30 (20-8)
16/02/1994
26/06/1996
Italy
30 (24-6)
24/11/1935
12/11/1939
Source:https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/argentina-unbeaten-run-italy-world-record-streak-messi/bmcsegbknr7e0comxmoojrtf
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Bottom Line
Argentina's style of play has proven to be quite successful under head coach Lionel Scaloni. The team is more cohesive than it was a few years ago. Everyone on the team is aware of their responsibilities, and the players communicate well with one another. Overall, the Argentine national football team appears to have a tendency to not lose games and a belief that they will win games regularly. Therefore, the Albiceleste senior side is getting closer to breaking Italy's longest undefeated streak during the Qatar World Cup 2022 since their next five international matches feature fairly weaker opponents.
2 years ago