Argentina at the FIFA World Cup - wikipedia Argentina at the FIFA World Cup Argentina team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia This is a record of Argentina 's results at the FIFA World Cup. Argentina is one of the most successful national football teams in the world, having won two World Cups in 1978 and 1986. Argentina has been runners up three times in 1930, 1990 and 2014. The team was present in all but four of the World Cups, being behind only Brazil, Italy and Germany in number of appearances. Argentina has also won the Copa América 14 times, one less than Uruguay. Moreover, Argentina has also won the Confederations Cup and the gold medal at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic football tournament. Prior to that, Argentina won two silver medals in the 1928 and 1996 editions. On other levels of international competition, Argentina has won the FIFA U-20 World Cup a record six times. The FIFA U-17 World Cup is the only FIFA international competition yet to be won by Argentina. Contents 1 World Cup record 2 Winning World Cups 3 All matches 4 World Cup Finals 4.1 1930 v Uruguay 4.2 1978 v the Netherlands 4.3 1986 v West Germany 4.4 1990 v West Germany 4.5 2014 v Germany 5 Record by opponent 6 Head coaches 7 Against conferences 8 Against debutants 9 Record players 10 Top goalscorers 11 Goalscoring by tournament 12 Awards 12.1 Team 12.2 Individual 13 Records and statistics 13.1 Standing alone 13.2 Shared 14 Miscellaneous 15 Referees 16 External links 17 Notes 18 References World Cup record FIFA World Cup finals record FIFA World Cup qualification record Year Round Position GP D * GF GA GP D * GF GA 1930 Runners - up 2nd 5 0 18 9 Invited 1934 First round 9th 0 0 Qualified by opponent 's withdrawal 1938 Did not enter Withdrew due to hosting disagreement 1950 1954 Withdrew due to political decision 1958 Group stage 13th 0 5 10 0 10 1962 Group stage 10th 0 0 11 1966 Quarter - finals 5th 0 9 1970 Did not qualify 6 Second group stage 8th 6 9 12 0 9 1978 Champions 1st 7 5 15 Qualified as hosts 1982 Second group stage 11th 5 0 8 7 Qualified as defending champions 1986 Champions 1st 7 6 0 14 5 6 12 6 1990 Runners - up 2nd 7 3 * 5 Qualified as defending champions 1994 Round of 16 10th 0 8 6 8 9 10 1998 Quarter - finals 6th 5 1 * 10 16 8 6 23 13 2002 Group stage 18th 18 13 42 15 2006 Quarter - finals 6th 5 2 * 0 11 18 10 29 17 Quarter - finals 5th 5 0 10 6 18 8 6 23 20 2014 Runners - up 2nd 7 5 1 * 8 16 9 5 35 15 2018 Round of 16 16th 6 9 18 7 7 19 16 2022 To Be Determined 2026 Total 2 titles 17 / 21 81 43 15 23 137 93 136 75 36 25 235 127 * Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. * * Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil. Winning World Cups Year Manager Captain Winning Goal Scorer ( s ) 1978 César Luis Menotti Daniel Passarella Mario Kempes ( 2 ), Daniel Bertoni 1986 Carlos Bilardo Diego Maradona José Luis Brown, Jorge Valdano, Jorge Burruchaga All matches World Cup Round Opponent Score Venue Scorers 1930 First round France 1 -- 0 Parque Central, Montevideo Monti Mexico 6 -- 3 Centenario, Montevideo Stábile ( 3 ), Zumelzú ( 2 ), Varallo Chile 3 -- 1 Centenario, Montevideo Stábile ( 2 ), Evaristo Semifinals United States 6 -- 1 Centenario, Montevideo Monti, Scopelli, Stábile ( 2 ), Peucelle ( 2 ) Final Uruguay 2 -- 4 Centenario, Montevideo Peucelle, Stábile 1934 Round of 16 Sweden 2 -- 3 Stadio Littoriale, Bologna Belis, Galateo 1958 Group Stage West Germany 1 -- 3 Malmö Stadion, Malmö Corbatta Northern Ireland 3 -- 1 Örjans Vall, Halmstad Corbatta, Menéndez, Avio Czechoslovakia 1 -- 6 Olympiastadion, Helsingborg Corbatta 1962 Group stage Bulgaria 1 -- 0 El Teniente, Rancagua Facundo England 1 -- 3 El Teniente, Rancagua Sanfilippo Hungary 0 -- 0 El Teniente, Rancagua 1966 Group stage Spain 2 -- 1 Villa Park, Birmingham Artime ( 2 ) West Germany 0 -- 0 Villa Park, Birmingham Switzerland 2 -- 0 Hillsborough, Sheffield Artime, Onega Quarter - finals England 0 -- 1 Wembley, London Group stage Poland 2 -- 3 Neckarstadion, Stuttgart Heredia, Babington Italy 1 -- 1 Neckarstadion, Stuttgart Houseman Haiti 4 -- 1 Olympiastadion, Munich Yazalde ( 2 ), Houseman, Ayala Second round Netherlands 0 -- 4 Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen Brazil 1 -- 2 Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover Brindisi East Germany 1 -- 1 Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen Houseman 1978 Group stage Hungary 2 -- 1 Monumental, Buenos Aires Luque, Bertoni France 2 -- 1 Monumental, Buenos Aires Passarella, Luque Italy 0 -- 1 Monumental, Buenos Aires Second round Poland 2 -- 0 Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario Kempes ( 2 ) Brazil 0 -- 0 Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario Peru 6 -- 0 Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario Kempes ( 2 ), Tarantini, Luque ( 2 ), Houseman Final Netherlands 3 -- 1 aet Monumental, Buenos Aires Kempes ( 2 ), Bertoni 1982 Group stage Belgium 0 -- 1 Camp Nou, Barcelona Hungary 4 -- 1 José Rico Pérez, Alicante Bertoni, Maradona ( 2 ), Ardiles El Salvador 2 -- 0 José Rico Pérez, Alicante Passarella, Bertoni Second round Italy 1 -- 2 Sarrià, Barcelona Passarella Brazil 1 -- 3 Sarrià, Barcelona Díaz 1986 Group stage South Korea 3 -- 1 Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City Valdano ( 2 ), Ruggeri Italy 1 -- 1 Cuauhtémoc, Puebla Maradona Bulgaria 2 -- 0 Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City Valdano, Burruchaga Round of 16 Uruguay 1 -- 0 Cuauhtémoc, Puebla Pasculli Quarter - finals England 2 -- 1 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Maradona ( 2 ) Semifinals Belgium 2 -- 0 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Maradona ( 2 ) Final West Germany 3 -- 2 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Brown, Valdano, Burruchaga 1990 Group stage Cameroon 0 -- 1 San Siro, Milan Soviet Union 2 -- 0 San Paolo, Naples Troglio, Burruchaga Romania 1 -- 1 San Paolo, Naples Monzón Round of 16 Brazil 1 -- 0 Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin Caniggia Quarter - finals Yugoslavia 0 -- 0 ( 3 - 2 ) pk Artemio Franchi, Florence Semifinals Italy 1 -- 1 ( 4 - 3 ) pk San Paolo, Naples Caniggia Final West Germany 0 -- 1 Olimpico, Rome 1994 Group stage Greece 4 -- 0 Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough Batistuta ( 3 ), Maradona Nigeria 2 -- 1 Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough Caniggia Bulgaria 0 -- 2 Cotton Bowl, Dallas Round of 16 Romania 2 -- 3 Rose Bowl, Pasadena Batistuta, Balbo 1998 Group stage Japan 1 -- 0 Stadium Municipal, Toulouse Batistuta Jamaica 5 -- 0 Parc des Princes, Paris Ortega ( 2 ), Batistuta ( 3 ) Croatia 1 -- 0 Parc Lescure, Bordeaux Pineda Round of 16 England 2 -- 2 ( 4 - 3 ) pk Geoffroy - Guichard, Saint - Étienne Batistuta, Zanetti Quarter - finals Netherlands 1 -- 2 Vélodrome, Marseille López 2002 Group stage Nigeria 1 -- 0 Kashima, Ibaraki prefecture Batistuta England 0 -- 1 Sapporo Dome, Sapporo Sweden 1 -- 1 Miyagi, Rifu Crespo 2006 Group stage Ivory Coast 2 -- 1 Volksparkstadion, Hamburg Crespo, Saviola Serbia and Montenegro 6 -- 0 Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen Rodríguez ( 2 ), Cambiasso, Crespo, Tévez, Messi Netherlands 0 -- 0 Waldstadion, Frankfurt Round of 16 Mexico 2 -- 1 aet Zentralstadion, Leipzig Crespo, Rodríguez Quarter - finals Germany 1 -- 1 ( 2 - 4 ) pk Olympiastadion, Berlin Ayala Group stage Nigeria 1 -- 0 Ellis Park, Johannesburg Heinze South Korea 4 -- 1 Soccer City, Johannesburg Park ( own goal ), Higuaín ( 3 ) Greece 2 -- 0 Peter Mokaba, Polokwane Demichelis, Palermo Round of 16 Mexico 3 -- 1 Soccer City, Johannesburg Tévez ( 2 ), Higuaín Quarter - finals Germany 0 -- 4 Green Point, Cape Town 2014 Group stage Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 -- 1 Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro Kolašinac ( own goal ), Messi Iran 1 -- 0 Mineirão, Belo Horizonte Messi Nigeria 3 -- 2 Beira - Rio, Porto Alegre Messi ( 2 ), Rojo Round of 16 Switzerland 1 -- 0 aet Arena Corinthians, São Paulo Di María Quarter - finals Belgium 1 -- 0 Estádio Nacional, Brasilia Higuaín Semifinals Netherlands 0 -- 0 ( 4 - 2 ) pk Arena Corinthians, São Paulo Final Germany 0 -- 1 aet Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro 2018 Group stage Iceland 1 -- 1 Spartak Stadium, Moscow Agüero Croatia 0 -- 3 Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod Nigeria 2 -- 1 Zenit Arena, Saint Petersburg Messi, Rojo Round of 16 France 3 -- 4 Kazan Arena, Kazan Di María, Mercado, Agüero World Cup finals 1930 v Uruguay The inaugural FIFA World Cup tournament culminated with Argentina facing hosts and current Olympic champions Uruguay. The match was turned twice : Argentina went into half - time with a 2 - 1 lead in spite of an early goal for Uruguay, but the hosts ultimately won 4 - 2. Guillermo Stábile, one of Argentina 's scorers, became the tournament 's top striker with 8 goals total. 30 July 1930 ( 1930 - 07 - 30 ) 14 : 15 UYT ( UTC - 03 : 30 ) Uruguay 4 -- 2 Argentina Dorado 12 ' Cea 57 ' Iriarte 68 ' Castro 89 ' Report Peucelle 20 ' Stábile 37 ' Estadio Centenario, Montevideo Attendance : 68,346 Referee : John Langenus ( Belgium ) Uruguay Argentina GK Enrique Ballestrero RB José Nasazzi ( c ) LB Ernesto Mascheroni RH José Andrade CH Lorenzo Fernández LH Álvaro Gestido OR Pablo Dorado IR Héctor Scarone CF Héctor Castro IL Pedro Cea OL Santos Iriarte Manager : Alberto Suppici GK Juan Botasso RB José Della Torre LB Fernando Paternoster RH Juan Evaristo CH Luis Monti LH Pedro Suárez OR Carlos Peucelle IR Francisco Varallo CF Guillermo Stábile IL Manuel Ferreira ( c ) OL Mario Evaristo Managers : Francisco Olazar Juan José Tramutola 1978 v the Netherlands Argentina hosted the 1978 edition of the World Cup and reached the final. The Netherlands had already played the previous final in West Germany 1974 - and also lost to the hosts. Diego Maradona was 17 years old at this point and already a star in his home country, but did not make the squad as coach César Luis Menotti felt he was too inexperienced to handle the pressure of this major tournament. The playmaker position was instead filled by Mario Kempes, who ended up becoming the first Argentinian to win the Golden Ball in addition to being the tournament 's top scorer with 6 goals. The Dutch side was missing a superstar of their own : Johann Cruyff did not join the 1978 World Cup squads due to the aftermath of a kidnapping attempt which occurred in 1977. He only disclosed this information 30 years later. The closely contested match was influenced by a hostile atmosphere and ended with the Dutch players refusing to attend the award ceremony after Argentina grabbed the title in extra time. 25 June 1978 15 : 00 UTC − 3 Argentina 3 -- 1 ( a.e.t. ) Netherlands Kempes 38 ', 105 ' Bertoni 115 ' Report Nanninga 82 ' Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires Attendance : 71,483 Referee : Sergio Gonella ( Italy ) Argentina Netherlands GK 5 Ubaldo Fillol RB 15 Jorge Olguín CB 7 Luis Galván CB 19 Daniel Passarella ( c ) LB 20 Alberto Tarantini DM 6 Américo Gallego CM Osvaldo Ardiles 40 ' 66 ' AM 10 Mario Kempes RW Daniel Bertoni LW 16 Oscar Alberto Ortiz 75 ' CF 14 Leopoldo Luque Substitutes : MF Norberto Alonso GK Héctor Baley MF 8 Rubén Galván MF 9 René Houseman 75 ' MF 12 Omar Larrosa 93 ' 66 ' Manager : César Luis Menotti GK 8 Jan Jongbloed SW 5 Ruud Krol ( c ) 15 ' RB 6 Wim Jansen 75 ' CB 22 Ernie Brandts LB Jan Poortvliet 96 ' RM 13 Johan Neeskens CM 9 Arie Haan LM 11 Willy van de Kerkhof RF 10 René van de Kerkhof CF 16 Johnny Rep 58 ' LF 12 Rob Rensenbrink Substitutes : DF Adrie van Kraay DF 17 Wim Rijsbergen FW 18 Dick Nanninga 58 ' GK 19 Pim Doesburg DF 20 Wim Suurbier 94 ' 75 ' Manager : Ernst Happel 1986 v West Germany Eight years after the victory on home soil, Argentina won the World Cup title for the second time. Diego Maradona was voted Best Player of the tournament after scoring five goals and assisting the decisive 3 - 2 by Jorge Burruchaga in the 84th minute of the final. The match was played in front of a record attendance of 114,600 people. 29 June 1986 12 : 00 CST Argentina 3 -- 2 West Germany Brown 23 ' Valdano 56 ' Burruchaga 84 ' Report Rummenigge 74 ' Völler 81 ' Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Attendance : 114,600 Referee : Romualdo Arppi Filho ( Brazil ) Argentina West Germany GK 18 Nery Pumpido 85 ' SW 5 José Luis Brown CB 9 José Luis Cuciuffo CB 19 Oscar Ruggeri RWB 14 Ricardo Giusti LWB 16 Julio Olarticoechea 77 ' DM Sergio Batista CM 7 Jorge Burruchaga 90 ' CM 12 Héctor Enrique 81 ' SS 10 Diego Maradona ( c ) 17 ' CF 11 Jorge Valdano Substitutions : MF 21 Marcelo Trobbiani 90 ' Manager : Carlos Bilardo GK Harald Schumacher SW 17 Ditmar Jakobs CB Karlheinz Förster CB Hans - Peter Briegel 62 ' RWB 14 Thomas Berthold LWB Andreas Brehme CM 6 Norbert Eder CM 8 Lothar Matthäus 21 ' AM 10 Felix Magath 62 ' CF 11 Karl - Heinz Rummenigge ( c ) CF 19 Klaus Allofs 46 ' Substitutions : FW 9 Rudi Völler 46 ' FW 20 Dieter Hoeneß 62 ' Manager : Franz Beckenbauer 1990 v West Germany In 1990, Argentina faced West Germany in a repeat of the 1986 edition. Pedro Monzón became the first player ever to be sent off in a World Cup final, but was later joined by team mate Gustavo Dezotti. The match was decided by a penalty kick in favour of Germany. 8 July 1990 20 : 00 UTC + 2 West Germany 1 -- 0 Argentina Brehme 85 ' ( pen. ) Report Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance : 73,603 Referee : Edgardo Codesal ( Mexico ) West Germany Argentina GK Bodo Illgner SW 5 Klaus Augenthaler CB 6 Guido Buchwald CB Jürgen Kohler RWB 14 Thomas Berthold 73 ' LWB Andreas Brehme CM 8 Thomas Häßler CM 10 Lothar Matthäus ( c ) CM 7 Pierre Littbarski CF 9 Rudi Völler 52 ' CF 18 Jürgen Klinsmann Substitutes : GK 12 Raimond Aumann DF Stefan Reuter 73 ' MF 15 Uwe Bein MF 20 Olaf Thon FW 13 Karl - Heinz Riedle Manager : Franz Beckenbauer GK 12 Sergio Goycochea SW 20 Juan Simón CB 18 José Serrizuela CB 19 Oscar Ruggeri 46 ' RWB José Basualdo LWB 17 Roberto Sensini DM 13 Néstor Lorenzo CM 7 Jorge Burruchaga 53 ' CM 21 Pedro Troglio 84 ' SS 10 Diego Maradona ( c ) 87 ' CF 9 Gustavo Dezotti 5 ', 87 ' Substitutes : GK 22 Fabián Cancelarich DF 5 Edgardo Bauza DF 15 Pedro Monzón 65 ' 46 ' MF 6 Gabriel Calderón 53 ' FW Abel Balbo Manager : Carlos Bilardo 2014 v Germany In 2014, Argentina reached the final for the fifth time and for a third time had to face the German team, making it the most `` common '' meeting for a final. In spite of a number of chances on both sides, regular time finished goalless. In the second half of extra time, substitute striker Mario Götze scored the decisive goal for Germany. 13 July 2014 16 : 00 UTC − 3 Germany 1 -- 0 ( a.e.t. ) Argentina Götze 113 ' Report Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro Attendance : 74,738 Referee : Nicola Rizzoli ( Italy ) Germany Argentina GK Manuel Neuer RB 16 Philipp Lahm ( c ) CB 20 Jérôme Boateng CB 5 Mats Hummels LB Benedikt Höwedes 34 ' CM 23 Christoph Kramer 31 ' CM 7 Bastian Schweinsteiger 29 ' RW 13 Thomas Müller AM 18 Toni Kroos LW 8 Mesut Özil 120 ' CF 11 Miroslav Klose 88 ' Substitutions : FW 9 André Schürrle 31 ' MF 19 Mario Götze 88 ' DF 17 Per Mertesacker 120 ' Manager : Joachim Löw GK Sergio Romero RB Pablo Zabaleta CB 15 Martín Demichelis CB Ezequiel Garay LB 16 Marcos Rojo CM 14 Javier Mascherano 64 ' CM 6 Lucas Biglia RW 8 Enzo Pérez 86 ' LW 22 Ezequiel Lavezzi 46 ' SS 10 Lionel Messi ( c ) CF 9 Gonzalo Higuaín 78 ' Substitutions : FW 20 Sergio Agüero 65 ' 46 ' FW 18 Rodrigo Palacio 78 ' MF 5 Fernando Gago 86 ' Manager : Alejandro Sabella Record by opponent Argentina has played a total of 81 FIFA World Cup games through 17 tournaments facing 36 rivals. Games that went on penalty kicks are shown as drawn. FIFA World Cup matches ( by team ) Opponent GF GA GD Confederation France 0 6 5 UEFA Mexico 0 0 11 5 6 CONCACAF Chile 0 0 CONMEBOL United States 0 0 6 5 CONCACAF Uruguay 0 - 1 CONMEBOL Sweden 0 - 1 UEFA Germany 7 5 12 - 7 UEFA Northern Ireland 0 0 UEFA Czechoslovakia 0 0 6 - 5 UEFA Bulgaria 0 UEFA England 5 5 8 - 3 UEFA Hungary 0 6 UEFA Spain 0 0 UEFA Switzerland 0 0 0 UEFA Poland 0 UEFA Italy 5 0 6 - 2 UEFA Haiti 0 0 CONCACAF Netherlands 5 7 - 3 UEFA Brazil 5 - 2 CONMEBOL East Germany * 0 0 0 UEFA Peru 0 0 6 0 6 CONMEBOL Belgium 0 UEFA El Salvador 0 0 0 CONCACAF South Korea 0 0 7 5 AFC Cameroon 0 0 0 - 1 CAF Soviet Union * 0 0 0 UEFA Romania 0 - 1 UEFA Serbia + 0 6 0 6 UEFA Greece 0 0 6 0 6 UEFA Nigeria 5 5 0 0 9 5 CAF Japan 0 0 0 AFC Jamaica 0 0 5 0 5 CONCACAF Croatia 0 - 2 UEFA Ivory Coast 0 0 CAF Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 0 UEFA Iran 0 0 0 AFC Iceland 0 0 0 UEFA Teams in bold denote world cup winners, teams in italics show teams which played it first match ever in a World Cup against Argentina. Teams with a * mark no longer exist. East Germany was annexed to Germany. Soviet Union now plays as Russia. + Played as Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro. Head coaches Through Argentinian team history, several coaches had trained it with different football styles from offensive to defensive tactics. There are two predominant ' football schools ' about world champions coaches César Menotti who propagates possession and well - look play and Carlos Bilardo who prioritize results and tactical order. These head coaches divides Argentine fans kindly. Other managers such as Marcelo Bielsa has got his own football style. In another way this list shows records in world cups and in qualifying stages excluding friendlies. By tournament At FIFA World Cup In qualification Total Coach Years W % pts % W % pts % W % pts % Olazar and Tramutola 1930 5 0 80 % 80 % Not played 5 0 80 % 80 % Felipe Pascucci 1934 0 0 0 % 0 % Not played 0 0 0 % 0 % Guillermo Stábile 1958 0 33.3 % 33.3 % 0 75 % 75 % 9 6 0 66.6 % 66.6 % 1962 He did not manage this Cup 0 0 100 % 100 % Juan Carlos Lorenzo 1962 33.3 % 50 % He did not manage these qualyfiers 7 42.9 % 57.1 % 1966 50 % 62.5 % José María Minella 1966 He did not manage this Cup 0 75 % 87.5 % 0 75 % 87.5 % Adolfo Pedernera 1970 Did not qualify 25 % 37.5 % 25 % 37.5 % Omar Sívori He did not manage this Cup 0 75 % 87.5 % 0 75 % 87.5 % Vladislao Cap 6 16.7 % 33.3 % He did not manage these qualyfiers 6 16.7 % 33.3 % César Menotti 1978 7 5 71.4 % 78.6 % Qualified as hosts 12 7 58.3 % 62.5 % 1982 5 0 40 % 40 % Qualified as defending champions Carlos Bilardo 1986 7 6 0 85.7 % 92.9 % 6 66.7 % 75 % 20 12 5 60 % 72.5 % 1990 7 28.6 % 50 % Qualified as defending champions Alfio Basile 1994 0 50 % 50 % 8 50 % 62.5 % 12 6 42.9 % 52.4 % He did not manage this Cup 10 40 % 53.3 % Daniel Passarella 1998 5 60 % 66.7 % 16 8 6 50 % 62.5 % 16 8 6 52.4 % 63.5 % Marcelo Bielsa 2002 33.3 % 44.4 % 18 13 72.2 % 79.6 % 18 13 66.7 % 74.6 % José Pekerman 2006 5 0 60 % 73.3 % 18 10 55.6 % 66.7 % 18 10 56.5 % 65.2 % Diego Maradona 5 0 80 % 80 % 8 0 50 % 50 % 13 8 0 5 61.5 % 61.2 % Alejandro Sabella 2014 7 5 71.4 % 76.2 % 16 9 5 56.3 % 66.7 % 23 14 6 60.9 % 69.6 % Gerardo Martino 2018 He did not manage this Cup 6 50 % 61.1 % 6 50 % 61.1 % Edgardo Bauza 2018 He did not manage this Cup 8 37.5 % 45.8 % 8 37.5 % 45.8 % Jorge Sampaoli 2018 25 % 33.3 % 0 25 % 50 % 8 25 % 41.7 % From 1994 towards, three points are given for a win. Previously were two. Against conferences FIFA delegates regional qualification and other organization affairs to continental conferences, so it divides into six differents of them grouped by geographical location. Argentina plays in CONMEBOL conference in South America. Due to World Cup rules that two times of same confederation can not play in the same group in first round except for UEFA, it commonly faces teams which plays outside its continent most recently from Africa and Asia. Argentine national has never played versus an Oceanian ( OFC ) squad. FIFA World Cup matches ( by conference ) Confederation GF GA GD % of pts % of wins UEFA 55 22 13 20 74 68 6 79 % 40 % CONMEBOL 8 15 10 5 54.16 % 50 % CONCACAF 7 7 0 0 28 7 21 100 % 100 % CAF 7 6 0 11 6 5 85.71 % 85.71 % AFC 0 0 9 7 100 % 100 % Against debutants ' Albiceleste ' has played against first - world - cup teams more than other, doing so 17 times, 7 of them being the first World Cup match ever. This list shows records versus those selections including all - debutants 1930 edition. Curiously Argentina 's debut was versus France that previously had played before. Opponent GF GA GD Debutants 7 5 13 6 7 Teams in 1st their WC 17 13 45 18 27 Sweden, Bulgaria, Greece, Japan, Ivory Coast, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland played its first time against Argentina. France, Mexico, Chile, United States, Uruguay, Northern Ireland, Haiti, East Germany, Jamaica and Croatia played in its first world cup but after first game. Record players Diego Maradona has captained the team in 16 matches. His total of 21 matches is only beaten by three other players. No. Name Matches World Cups Diego Maradona 21 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994 Javier Mascherano 20 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Lionel Messi 19 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Mario Kempes 18 1974, 1978 and 1982 5 Oscar Ruggeri 16 1986, 1990 and 1994 6 Jorge Burruchaga 14 1986 and 1990 Gonzalo Higuaín 14 2010, 2014 and 2018 9 Ubaldo Fillol 13 1974, 1978 and 1982 Ángel Di María 13 2010, 2014 and 2018 Top goalscorers Rank Name Goals World Cups Gabriel Batistuta 10 1994 ( 4 ), 1998 ( 5 ) and 2002 ( 1 ) Guillermo Stábile 8 1930 Diego Maradona 8 1982 ( 2 ), 1986 ( 5 ) and 1994 ( 1 ) Mario Kempes 6 1978 Lionel Messi 6 2006 ( 1 ), 2014 ( 4 ) and 2018 ( 1 ) 6 Gonzalo Higuaín 5 2010 ( 4 ) and 2014 ( 1 ) 7 Seven players Goalscoring by tournament World Cup Goalscorer ( s ) 1930 Guillermo Stábile ( 8 ), Carlos Peucelle ( 3 ), Luis Monti ( 2 ), Adolfo Zumelzú ( 2 ), Mario Evaristo, Alejandro Scopelli, Francisco Varallo 1934 Ernesto Belis, Alberto Galateo 1958 Omar Oreste Corbatta ( 3 ), Ludovico Avio, Norberto Menéndez 1962 Héctor Facundo, José Sanfilippo 1966 Luis Artime ( 3 ), Ermindo Onega René Houseman ( 3 ), Héctor Yazalde ( 2 ), Rubén Ayala, Carlos Babington, Miguel Ángel Brindisi, Ramón Heredia 1978 Mario Kempes ( 6 ), Leopoldo Luque ( 4 ), Daniel Bertoni ( 2 ), René Houseman, Daniel Passarella, Alberto Tarantini 1982 Daniel Bertoni ( 2 ), Diego Maradona ( 2 ), Daniel Passarella ( 2 ), Osvaldo Ardiles, Ramón Díaz 1986 Diego Maradona ( 5 ), Jorge Valdano ( 4 ), Jorge Burruchaga ( 2 ), José Luis Brown, Pedro Pasculli, Oscar Ruggeri 1990 Claudio Caniggia ( 2 ), Jorge Burruchaga, Pedro Monzón, Pedro Troglio 1994 Gabriel Batistuta ( 4 ), Claudio Caniggia ( 2 ), Abel Balbo, Diego Maradona 1998 Gabriel Batistuta ( 5 ), Ariel Ortega ( 2 ), Claudio López, Mauricio Pineda, Javier Zanetti 2002 Gabriel Batistuta, Hernán Crespo 2006 Hernán Crespo ( 3 ), Maxi Rodríguez ( 3 ), Roberto Ayala, Esteban Cambiasso, Lionel Messi, Javier Saviola, Carlos Tevez Gonzalo Higuaín ( 4 ), Carlos Tevez ( 2 ), Martin Demichelis, Gabriel Heinze, Martin Palermo, Own Goal 2014 Lionel Messi ( 4 ), Ángel Di María, Gonzalo Higuaín, Marcos Rojo, Own Goal 2018 Sergio Agüero ( 2 ), Lionel Messi, Marcos Rojo, Ángel Di María, Gabriel Mercado Awards Team World Champions 1978 World Champions 1986 2nd Place 1930 2nd Place 1990 2nd Place 2014 Fair Play Award 1978 Individual Golden Ball 1978 : Mario Kempes Golden Ball 1986 : Diego Maradona Golden Ball 2014 : Lionel Messi Silver Ball 1930 : Guillermo Stábile Bronze Ball 1990 : Diego Maradona Golden Boot 1930 : Guillermo Stábile Golden Boot 1978 : Mario Kempes Silver Boot 1986 : Diego Maradona Silver Boot 1998 : Gabriel Batistuta Silver Boot 2006 : Hernán Crespo Golden Glove 1978 : Ubaldo Fillol Golden Glove 1990 : Sergio Goycochea ( shared ) Man of the Match award 2014 : Lionel Messi José Pékerman won the FIFA Fair Play Trophy as a coach with Colombia in 2014. Records and statistics Standing alone Most played final against the same team : 3 times versus Germany in 1986, 1990 and 2014. Most played against the same team in same stage : 5 times versus Nigeria in 1994, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018 all in group stage. Last three of them make most times consecutive, too. All won by Argentina by one goal difference. Most played semifinals without losses : 5 times won in 1930 and 1986 while drawn in 1990 and 2014. Although in 1978 there were n't semifinals, Argentina won second round group ahead Brazil which disputed 3rd place match against Italy. Even more, game against Brazil ended in a 0 - 0 draw. Most played penalty shoot - outs : 5 ( twice in 1990, 1998, 2006 and 2014 ). Fewest goals for a finalist : 1990. Youngest coach : Juan José Tramutola aged 27 years and 267 days in 1930. Most hat - tricks scored in multiple editions : Gabriel Batistuta in 1994 against Greece and in 1998 against Jamaica. Shared Most played against the same team : 7 times versus Germany in 1958, 1966, 1986, 1990, 2006, 2010 and 2014. Shared with Germany vs Yugoslavia / Serbia and Brazil vs Sweden. Most won penalty shoot - outs : 4 times ( twice in 1990, 1998 and 2014 ). Shared with Germany. Most coached finals : 2 times by Carlos Bilardo in 1986 and 1990. Shared with Italian Vittorio Pozzo ( 1934 - 1938 ), German Helmut Schön ( 1966 - 1974 ), Brazilian Mário Zagallo ( 1970 - 1998 ) and German Franz Beckenbauer who faced Bilardo in both two in 1986 and 1990. Miscellaneous Argentina 's game versus West Germany in 1958 featured a yellow jersey instead traditional 's light blue and white colors or blue as alternate. This was beacause both teams wear white jerseys creating confusing. As South American side forgot to bring an alternate one, they decided to borrow local team club 's Malmö. Germany won 3 - 1. In 1978 France - Hungary match occurred something similar. Both teams arrived to the match with white jerseys, so France was forced to borrow Mar del Plata 's local club Kimberley. France wore striped green and white keeping traditional 's blue shorts and red socks winning 3 - 1. That stadium José María Minella is the southernmost World Cup venue located at 38 ° 0 ′ 0 '' S 57 ° 33 ′ 0 '' W. Other than France vs. Hungary were played Italy vs. France, Italy vs. Hungary, Brazil vs. Sweden, Brazil vs. Spain and Brazil vs. Austria. Mar del Plata is on the south of Buenos Aires Province. In addition, Argentina played against Nigeria at Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg in 2018 making the most northernmost game along other six matches. Russian 's city is at 59 ° 58 ′ 22.63 '' N 30 ° 13 ′ 13.92 '' E. Referees As a major CONMEBOL member, Argentina has been represented by match officials in nearly every tournament. In 2006, Horacio Elizondo refereed the final between France and Italy, where he sent off Zinedine Zidane after a headbutt to an opponent. In 2018, Néstor Pitana did it when France played versus Croatia. They are also the only two who refereed the opening game in the same tournament. External links Official website, at the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino 's website FIFA world cup all - time table Notes Jump up ^ Argentina 's 100th WC goal References Jump up ^ `` 1934 Qualy ''. rsssf.com. ^ Jump up to : `` Whitdraw decisions '' ( in Spanish ). Diario Ovación. ^ Jump up to : This is one of several goals for which the statistical details are disputed. The goalscorers and timings used here are those of FIFA, the official record. Some other sources, such as RSSSF, state a different scorer and / or timing. See `` World Cup 1930 finals ''. RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2008... Jump up ^ `` Football school of play ''. Diario Clarín. Jump up ^ `` record ''. Wikipedia. Jump up ^ `` Youngest coach ''. fifa.com. Jump up ^ `` 27 years ''. fifa.com. Jump up ^ `` hat - trick ''. fifa.com. Jump up ^ `` two finals ''. fifa.com. Jump up ^ `` Argentina Yellow ''. El Gráfico. Jump up ^ `` 1958 coin toss ''. En una baldosa. Jump up ^ `` Kimberley ''. pinimg.com. Jump up ^ `` France - Hungary ''. www.squadnumbers.com. Jump up ^ `` José María Minella ''. www.rsssf.com. Jump up ^ `` '' Zenit Arena `` ''. fifa.com. Argentina national football team squads Argentina squad -- 1930 FIFA World Cup runners - up GK Bossio GK Botasso FW Cherro MF Chividini FW Demaría DF Della Torre MF J. Evaristo FW M. Evaristo FW Ferreira ( c ) MF Monti DF Muttis MF Orlandini DF Paternoster FW Perinetti FW Peucelle DF Piaggio FW Scopelli FW Spadaro FW Stábile MF Suárez FW Varallo MF Zumelzú Coach : Olazar & Tramutola Argentina squad -- 1934 FIFA World Cup MF Albarracín DF Astudillo DF Belis DF Chimento FW Devincenzi GK Freschi FW Galateo GK Grippa FW Irañeta FW Izzeta MF López MF Lorenzo MF Nehin DF Pedevilla FW Pérez FW Rúa MF Urbieta Sosa FW Wilde Coach : Pascucci Argentina squad -- 1958 FIFA World Cup 1 Carrizo 2 Dellacha ( c ) 3 Vairo 4 Lombardo 5 Rossi 6 Varacka 7 Corbatta 8 Prado 9 Menéndez 10 Rojas 11 Labruna 12 Musimessi 13 Pérez 14 Edwards 15 Acevedo 16 Mouriño 17 Ramos Delgado 18 Boggio 19 Avio 20 Infante 21 Sanfilippo 22 Cruz Coach : Stábile Argentina squad -- 1962 FIFA World Cup 1 Roma 2 Ramos Delgado 3 Marzolini 4 Sainz 5 Sacchi 6 Páez 7 Facundo 8 Pando 9 Pagani 10 Sanfilippo 11 Belén 12 Domínguez 13 Rossi 14 Mariotti 15 Navarro ( c ) 16 Rattín 17 Albrecht 18 Cap 19 Sosa 20 Oleniak 21 Abeledo 22 González Coach : Lorenzo Argentina squad -- 1966 FIFA World Cup 1 Roma 2 Irusta 3 Gatti 4 Perfumo 5 Varacka 6 Calics 7 Marzolini 8 Ferreiro 9 Simeone 10 Rattín ( c ) 11 Pastoriza 12 Albrecht 13 López 14 Chaldú 15 Solari 16 González 17 Sarnari 18 Rojas 19 Artime 20 Onega 21 Más 22 Tarabini Coach : Lorenzo Argentina squad -- 1974 FIFA World Cup 1 Carnevali 2 Ayala 3 Babington 4 Balbuena 5 Bargas 6 Brindisi 7 Carrascosa 8 Chazarreta 9 Glaria 10 Heredia 11 Houseman 12 Fillol 13 Kempes 14 Perfumo ( c ) 15 Poy 16 Sá 17 Squeo 18 Telch 19 Togneri 20 Wolff 21 Santoro 22 Yazalde Coach : Cap Argentina squad -- 1978 FIFA World Cup winners ( 1st title ) 1 Alonso 2 Ardiles 3 Baley 4 Bertoni 5 Fillol 6 Gallego 7 L. Galván 8 R. Galván 9 Houseman 10 Kempes 11 Killer 12 Larrosa 13 La Volpe 14 Luque 15 Olguín 16 Ortiz 17 Oviedo 18 Pagnanini 19 Passarella ( c ) 20 Tarantini 21 Valencia 22 Villa Coach : Menotti Argentina squad -- 1982 FIFA World Cup 1 Ardiles 2 Baley 3 Barbas 4 Bertoni 5 Calderón 6 Díaz 7 Fillol 8 Galván 9 Gallego 10 Maradona 11 Kempes 12 Hernández 13 Olarticoechea 14 Olguín 15 Passarella ( c ) 16 Pumpido 17 Santamaría 18 Tarantini 19 Trossero 20 Valdano 21 Valencia 22 Van Tuyne Coach : Menotti Argentina squad -- 1986 FIFA World Cup winners ( 2nd title ) 1 Almirón 2 Batista 3 Bochini 4 Borghi 5 Brown 6 Passarella 7 Burruchaga 8 Clausen 9 Cuciuffo 10 Maradona ( c ) 11 Valdano 12 Enrique 13 Garré 14 Giusti 15 Islas 16 Olarticoechea 17 Pasculli 18 Pumpido 19 Ruggeri 20 Tapia 21 Trobbiani 22 Zelada Coach : Bilardo Argentina squad -- 1990 FIFA World Cup runners - up 1 Pumpido ( Comizzo ) 2 Batista 3 Balbo 4 Basualdo 5 Bauza 6 Calderón 7 Burruchaga 8 Caniggia 9 Dezotti 10 Maradona ( c ) 11 Fabbri 12 Goycochea 13 Lorenzo 14 Giusti 15 Monzón 16 Olarticoechea 17 Sensini 18 Serrizuela 19 Ruggeri 20 Simón 21 Troglio 22 Cancelarich Coach : Bilardo Argentina squad -- 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Goycochea 2 Vázquez 3 Chamot 4 Sensini 5 Redondo 6 Ruggeri 7 Caniggia 8 Basualdo 9 Batistuta 10 Maradona ( c ) 11 Medina Bello 12 Islas 13 Cáceres 14 Simeone 15 Borelli 16 Díaz 17 Ortega 18 Pérez 19 Balbo 20 Rodríguez 21 Mancuso 22 Scoponi Coach : Basile Argentina squad -- 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Roa 2 Ayala 3 Chamot 4 Pineda 5 Almeyda 6 Sensini 7 C. López 8 Simeone ( c ) 9 Batistuta 10 Ortega 11 Verón 12 Burgos 13 Paz 14 Vivas 15 Astrada 16 Berti 17 Cavallero 18 Balbo 19 Crespo 20 Gallardo 21 Delgado 22 Zanetti Coach : Passarella Argentina squad -- 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Burgos 2 Ayala 3 Sorín 4 Pochettino 5 Almeyda 6 Samuel 7 C. López 8 Zanetti 9 Batistuta 10 Ortega 11 Verón ( c ) 12 Cavallero 13 Placente 14 Simeone 15 Husaín 16 Aimar 17 G. López 18 K. González 19 Crespo 20 Gallardo 21 Caniggia 22 Chamot 23 Bonano Coach : Bielsa Argentina squad -- 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Abbondanzieri 2 Ayala 3 Sorín ( c ) 4 Coloccini 5 Cambiasso 6 Heinze 7 Saviola 8 Mascherano 9 Crespo 10 Riquelme 11 Tevez 12 Franco 13 Scaloni 14 Palacio 15 Milito 16 Aimar 17 Cufré 18 Rodríguez 19 Messi 20 Cruz 21 Burdisso 22 González 23 Ustari Coach : Pékerman Argentina squad -- 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Pozo 2 Demichelis 3 C. Rodríguez 4 Burdisso 5 Bolatti 6 Heinze 7 Di María 8 Verón 9 Higuaín 10 Messi 11 Tevez 12 Garcé 13 Samuel 14 Mascherano ( c ) 15 Otamendi 16 Agüero 17 Gutiérrez 18 Palermo 19 Milito 20 M. Rodríguez 21 Andújar 22 Romero 23 Pastore Coach : Maradona Argentina squad -- 2014 FIFA World Cup runners - up 1 Romero 2 Garay 3 Campagnaro 4 Zabaleta 5 Gago 6 Biglia 7 Di María 8 Pérez 9 Higuaín 10 Messi ( c ) 11 M. Rodríguez 12 Orión 13 A. Fernández 14 Mascherano 15 Demichelis 16 Rojo 17 F. Fernández 18 Palacio 19 Álvarez 20 Agüero 21 Andújar 22 Lavezzi 23 Basanta Coach : Sabella Countries at the FIFA World Cup Team appearances Teams with no appearances All - time table AFC Australia China Indonesia Iran Iraq Japan Kuwait North Korea Saudi Arabia South Korea United Arab Emirates CAF Algeria Angola Cameroon DR Congo Egypt Ghana Ivory Coast Morocco Nigeria Senegal South Africa Togo Tunisia CONCACAF Canada Costa Rica Cuba El Salvador Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Panama Trinidad and Tobago United States CONMEBOL Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay OFC New Zealand UEFA Austria Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark East Germany England France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine Wales Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name ( s ). Have been member of multiple confederations. Team and national federation no longer exist. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Argentina_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup&oldid=853944561 '' Categories : Argentina at the FIFA World Cup Argentina national football team Countries at the FIFA World Cup Hidden categories : CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch 한국어 Edit links This page was last edited on 7 August 2018, at 23 : 25 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when was the first time argentina won the world cup
Answer: 1978