Dibu Martínez makes his predictions for the 2026 World Cup: how the matchups will be and who the supposed champion is
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez has predicted the team's path to victory in the 2026 World Cup.
- His predictions include Argentina defeating Spain, France, and Brazil in knockout stages, with two matches decided by penalties.
- Martínez, currently recovering from a finger fracture, is reportedly close to signing with Juventus.
Argentina's star goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez has boldly predicted his team's route to winning the 2026 World Cup, sharing his forecasts in a video for an official sponsor. Martínez anticipates a challenging but ultimately triumphant journey for La Albiceleste, envisioning them overcoming formidable opponents on their way to the championship.
Argentina will be champions of the World Cup, although he stressed that it will have a complicated journey, in which it will face the heavyweights.
Martínez's predictions begin from the Round of 16, where he foresees Argentina defeating Spain. He also forecasts France beating Norway, Germany overcoming Turkey, the Netherlands besting the United States, Brazil defeating Japan, and Mexico winning against South Korea. In the quarterfinals, Martínez expects England to beat Colombia, Argentina to triumph over France (a rematch of the dramatic 2022 final), Germany to defeat the Netherlands, and Brazil to overcome Mexico.
Argentina will win by penalties.
The semifinal stage, according to Martínez, will feature two historically intense matchups. He predicts Argentina will face England, a classic rivalry, and crucially, he believes Argentina will win this match via a penalty shootout. The other semifinal, in his prediction, pits Brazil against Germany, recalling their historic 7-1 encounter in the 2014 World Cup. Martínez anticipates a final showdown between Argentina and Brazil, mirroring the 2021 Copa América final, and again predicts an Argentine victory decided by penalties.
Argentina vs. Brazil, just as it happened during the Copa América 2021.
Meanwhile, Martínez is currently recovering from a fracture in his right ring finger. Despite this injury, he is expected to start as Argentina's goalkeeper. Adding to his off-field news, Italian press reports suggest Martínez is nearing a three-year contract agreement with Juventus.
It will also be decided by penalties, as happened in the last match of Qatar 2022.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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