A possible rival for the Copa América 2024 and an exotic country: who would face world champions Argentina in March?

The third star continues to celebrate. After the celebration with millions of people in the streets of Buenos Aires who received the world champion team in Qatar 2022, the meeting of is expected Lionel Messi and company with the people at the end of March when the Argentina return home to play two friendlies in the FIFA window. And two possible rivals are already popping up, not yet confirmed: one is a possible crossover of the Copa América 2024 and the other an exotic country for modern football.

The talks exist and progress is being made on them to try to close the agreements in order to have the first teams that the Senior Selection will face with the third star embroidered on the shield. One of these matches will be on the River pitch between 22 and 23 March. And the opponent for that first friendly match would be Panama.

Although in the AFA, as usual, they are managed in secrecy and will not confirm anything until the signing of the commitments, in the Central American country the news is already reverberating as it will face Messi again after seven years (the last time was in the Copa America Centenary in 2016).

There are still problems to solve. For example, Panama has to ask for an authorization given that it should play in two different confederations in the same week because on March 28 it will compete against Costa Rica, also belonging to Concacaf. Argentina is part of Conmebol. Both confederations recently signed an agreement for the next Copa América, which will take place in the United States in 2024.

The second rival would be, if confirmed, more exotic. Is that there are talks with Suriname, a small country in northern South America. It is located near French Guiana and was formerly known as Dutch Guiana. He has already closed a cross with Mexico and then he could play against Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina, who has yet to sign the new contract.

Another issue that remains to be resolved is the setting for that second game, which would be March 27 or 28. There is the possibility of playing it inside or that it will be played again at the Monumental.

In the next few weeks we will try to finish defining everything so that what will be a true Lazio party takes shape which, obviously, will have the World Cup won at the Lusail stadium against France as its main protagonist.

By then the coaching continuity should already be sorted out. “Wait for Good News”She said Claudius Tapiapresident of the AFA, in his last public appearance, in the official presentation of the candidacy for the 2030 World Cup together with Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile.

An in-person conversation is in progress which will happen when Scaloni returns to Argentina in late February or early March. But, barring unforeseen events, they will shake hands to formalize the renewal until 2026.