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Argentina was made pre-tournament favorite after a brilliant qualifying campaign and an unbeaten run of 18 matches before the finals dating back to July 2000.

 

The controversial defeat at the hands of England in the World Cup 2002 was Argentina's first ever defeat since 26th July 2000 when they lost to Brazil in a qualifying match in Brazil. (So Argentina was unbeaten from 26th July 2000 to 7th June 2002). This defeat also was the first defeat to a European side since 1998 when they lost to the Netherlands in the World Cup '98.

Argentina was tipped as pre-tournament favourites to win the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup according to:

 

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Argentina was the pre-tournament favourites to win the World Cup 2002

1 December 2001, 22:42 Seoul - Tokyo
Argentina 4-1 favourites to win World Cup

LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Argentina are 4-1 favourites to win next year's World Cup following Saturday's draw, according to British bookmakers William Hill.

Odds for the 32 qualifiers:

 Argentina         4-1
 Italy             5-1
 France           11-2
 Brazil            8-1
 Spain             8-1
 England          10-1
 Germany          10-1
 Portugal         11-1
 Cameroon         33-1
 Paraguay         40-1
 Nigeria          50-1
 Poland           50-1
 Croatia          50-1
 Ecuador          66-1
 Mexico           66-1
 Japan            66-1
 Ireland          66-1
 South Africa     80-1
 South Korea      66-1
 Sweden           66-1
 Russia           80-1
 Belgium          80-1
 Turkey          100-1
 Denmark         125-1
 Uruguay         125-1
 Slovenia        150-1

United States 150-1 

 China           250-1
 Senegal         250-1
 Costa Rica      250-1
 Tunisia         250-1

Saudi Arabia 300-1

 

1 December 2001, 02:43 Seoul - Tokyo
UK Bookies Pick Argentina to Win Cup

LONDON (AP) _ Argentina is the choice of England's top two bookmakers to win the 2002 World Cup, while the United States is given less than a 100-to-1 shot of becoming champion.

Ladbrokes listed Argentina at 7-2 on Friday, followed by France (4-1), Italy (7-1) and Brazil and England (both 8-1). Spain was listed at 9-1, Germany at 10-1, and Portugal 16-1.

Ladbrokes had the United States at 150-1, with four teams listed as the longest shots at 200-1 _ China, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Costa Rica.

Bookmaker William Hill also had Argentina at 7-2, followed by France at 9-2, Italy, Brazil and England all at 7-1, Spain at 12-1, and Germany and Portugal both at 16-1.

The United States was listed at 125-1, with Saudi Arabia the longest shot at 250-1.

19 December 2001, 19:02 Seoul - Tokyo
 Journalists back Argentina to win 2002 World cup

Juan Sebastian Veron (Manchester United FC, England), Diego Simeone (SS Lazio, Italy) and Hernan  Crespo (SS Lazio, Italy)
Veron, Simeone and Crespo

Argentina, pictured after beating Ecuador in a World Cup qualifying game, have been tipped as strong favourites to win next year's World Cup by a Reuters' poll of sports journalists around the world. REUTERS/Guillermo Granja

LONDON (Reuters) - Argentina are strong favourites to win next year's soccer World Cup ahead of 1998 champions France, according to a Reuters poll.

Out of 40 sports editors and journalists from 31 countries, 24 said Argentina, the tournament favourites and winners of the championships in 1978 and 1986, would triumph in the World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan next summer.

"The best players, the best team, the best spirit," said Peter Lerch at Sportinformation in Switzerland.

France came second with seven votes. England and Italy both received three votes, while Brazil got two and Portugal one.

Argentina, who won the South American qualifying group by 12 points, are in the so-called first-round "group of death" with arch-rivals England, former Olympic champions Nigeria and hard-to-beat Sweden.

Argentina knocked England out of the 1998 World Cup after David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone.

As well as that defeat on penalties, England also lost to Argentina 2-1 in the 1986 quarter-finals in Mexico when Diego Maradona scored his infamous ''Hand of God'' goal.

Sports editors said Argentina have the team to win the tournament. "A remarkable generation of players who are able to win in spite of a bad grouping in the first round," said Andre Fontenelle at Placar in Brazil.

But others said the tournament might not go all Argentina''s way. "(England coach Sven Goran) Eriksson has the know-how to prepare England to beat any other team," said Howard Donaldson at The Mercury in South Africa.

Vitor Serpa at A Bola in Portugal backed Argentina to win but added: "France and England will certainly be strong candidates."

The last time England beat Argentina in the World Cup was in 1966 when they went on to become world champions for the only time.

A late Geoff Hurst header gave England a 1-0 victory in a quarter-final match on a sun-drenched July Saturday afternoon at Wembley, the game which really sparked the fierce soccer rivalry that still exists between the two countries.

Argentina had their skipper Antonio Rattin sent off during the match and afterwards England coach Alf Ramsey refused to let his players swap shirts with the Argentinians who he famously said had played like "animals."

 

15 May 2002, 12:00 am (Reuters)
World Cup to go to Argentina but France in with chance

By Joanne Russell

LONDON (Reuters) - Argentina have topped a Reuters poll as favourites to win the soccer World Cup final on June 30, edging defending champions France.

In a Reuters survey published last December, a clear majority of sports journalists around the world backed Argentina to win the Cup with only a few supporting France.

But in the latest poll taken April 25 to May 3, 14 out of 35 sports editors and journalists said Argentina would reclaim the world title this year while 12 said France would successfully defend their crown.

Four said Italy would be winner, two said Brazil, two backed England and one opted for Portugal.

"Argentina... are still the favourites. They are full of star calibre players," said Juhani Heikkila at the Finnish News Agency (STT).

The 32-team finals, in Japan and South Korea, kick off on May 31.

Argentina defeated old rivals Germany 1-0 in a warm-up game last month after only managing draws -- 1-1 with Wales and 2-2 with Cameroon -- in their previous two outings of the year.

Sports editors said Argentina would be tough to beat with the likes of Juan Sebastian Veron and Hernan Crespo in the squad.

Still, others said France, who enjoyed a stunning 3-0 victory against Brazil in the World Cup final four years ago, were currently looking the better side.

Donald Walker at The Scotsman voted for Argentina in the last Reuters poll but now favours France. "I have changed my mind simply because France have looked more impressive than Argentina in warm-up games," he said.

France, grouped with Senegal, Uruguay and Denmark in group A of the tournament, had a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Romania in a warm-up friendly in February and drew 0-0 with Russia last month. However, they crushed Scotland 5-0 in March.

"(France) are in great shape... and Argentina are an extremely balanced side," said Andreas Jaros at Sportmagazin in Austria. "But right now I think France have the edge."

TOUGHEST GROUP

Argentina, world champions in 1978 and 1986, are in the toughest group with Nigeria, Sweden and arch-rivals England, the 1966 world champions.

Argentina knocked England out of the 1998 World Cup after David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone.

Beckham was vilified by the British press afterwards but became a national hero when he secured England's place in this year's World Cup by scoring a superb free-kick against Greece.

He suffered a broken bone in his foot at the beginning of April although he is expected to be fit for the finals.

Howard Donaldson at The Mercury in South Africa backed England to win the World Cup in both Reuters polls. "I still think they've got a very good chance," he said.

"I just think (Sven-Goran) Eriksson... functions well under pressure which previous England managers like (Glenn) Hoddle and (Kevin) Keegan haven't done."

Others gave their vote to Italy who were World Cup winners in 1934, 1938 and 1982.

"Last December I picked Argentina. But now it looks as if Italy have found their pace under coach Giovanni Trapattoni and their win over England has shown that they are still strong contenders," said Anthony Costantino at l-orizzont in Malta.

Italy beat England 2-1 in March with Vincenzo Montella scoring both goals.

Jeremy Walker at Asahi Shimbun News Service in Tokyo said Portugal, grouped with South Korea, Poland and the United States in the opening round, would lift soccer's greatest prize.

"Portugal have, in the likes of Luis Figo and Rui Costa, the players to control the flow of the game, and with the flair and skill to find a goal when needed," he said.

But Roger Crutchley at the Bangkok Post said four times winners Brazil would be champions. "For probably the first time in recent history, Brazil are not among the hot favourites and this may take a lot of pressure off them," he said. "They should improve game by game as the tournament goes on."

 

Argentina leads the CNNSI.com World Cup Power Rankings (see the latest)

FULL TABLE

Rank   Team
1 Argentina: So much talent it could probably put two teams together that would challenge for the title.
2 France: "Les Bleus" have dominated the world's game, winning the '98 World Cup and Euro 2000.
3 Italy: If Giovanni Trapattoni's side doesn't make the semifinals, its campaign will be deemed as a failure back home.
4 Brazil: Even with all their problems in qualifying, the Samba Kings can't be ruled out.
5 England: After an inspirational revival under Sven-Goran Eriksson, England is now a challenger for the title.
6 Portugal: The golden generation of Portuguese football finally gets a chance to showcase its skills.
7 Spain: The underachievers have the ingredients, but can Jose Antonio Camacho cook up the right meal?
8 Germany: For once, it isn't one of the top-five favorites to win the title, but the Germans tend to rise to the occasion.
9 Croatia: The stars who took a shocking third in '98 may be past their prime, but you can't ignore their experience.
10 Cameroon: The Olympic gold medalists were the first team to earn a berth through qualifying play -- their fourth straight.
11 Paraguay: In qualifying, it beat Brazil for the first time ever and it was the only country not to lose to Argentina.
12 Sweden: They finished third in '94 but missed out in '98; hard work and organization might not cut it in the Group of Death.
13 Denmark: They nearly stunned Brazil in '98 and they could surprise a few more people this time around.
14 Belgium: It is the first nation ever to actually qualify for six straight World Cups, having surprised the Czechs in a playoff
15 Ireland: Went undefeated in qualifying play, including two draws against Portugal and a 1-0 home win against Holland
16 Nigeria: The new football superpower won the '96 Olympic gold medal and qualified for a third straight World Cup.
17 Poland: The Polish showed no problems scoring in qualifying, becoming the first European side to clinch a berth.
18 Turkey: A surprise Euro 2000 quarterfinalist, it built on that success by making its first World Cup since 1954.
19 Uruguay: Came back to beat Australia in a playoff to make their 10th overall World Cup but their first in 12 years.
20 Russia: Vladimir Beschastnykh's eight goals helped them qualify for the second time since the end of the Soviet Union.
21 Japan: Philippe Troussier's side has earned the respect of the football community, and it has home-field advantage.
22 Mexico: A late qualifying surge earned a 12th World Cup berth, the most of any CONCACAF country.
23 Slovenia: It went undefeated through group play and a playoff with Romania to qualify for a first World Cup.
24 Ecuador: It beat Brazil and Paraguay and impressed throughout qualifying to make the finals for the first time ever.
25 United States: Fourth straight trip and seventh overall despite the sport's status as sixth or seventh most important.
26 Senegal: Sent shockwaves by beating top African teams to qualify, and then making the African Nations Cup final.
27 South Korea: The home-field advantage boosts Guus Hiddink's side, which has never won a World Cup game in six trips.
28 Costa Rica : Made second World Cup by winning CONCACAF with a record 23 points; advance to second round in 1990.
29 South Africa: Technical director Jomo Sono leads the side into its second World Cup after Carlos Queiroz quit in March.
30 Tunisia: Coach Henri Michel quit in March because of what he described as poor working conditions.
31 Saudi Arabia: Scored 43 goals in qualifying, the most of any nation, to make a third World Cup; finished 12th at USA '94.
32 China: Coach Bora Milutinovic aims to make the first-time qualifiers his fifth team to reach the second round.

 

Argentina

Diego Maradona may be more worried about his tan than playing football these days, but Argentina is in good hands with a handful of players who can hand the nation its first cup since Maradona retired.

After losing the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the 1998 World Cup, the Argentines will stop no shorter than the final this time around. They cruised through the qualifying section, and now Argentina is ready to show the world what it can do.

As the countdown to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan continues, CNNSI.com's Pedro Pinto will take a close look at all of the nations that will contend for football's greatest prize.

Pinto is an anchor on World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.

 
 
 
Argentina's people are a fusion of diverse national and ethnic group with descendants of Italian and Spanish immigrants predominating. Europeans arrived in what is now Argentina with the 1502 voyage of Amerigo Vespucci. Buenos Aires formally declared independence from Spain on July 9, 1816. Today, Argentina's economy, supported by vast agricultural and energy resources, has achieved the highest GDP per capita in Latin America.
Provided by CountryWatch.com

Marcelo Bielsa must be envied by most managers, because he has it all at his disposal. There is an abundance of talent and skill in the Argentine squad, so much so that they could probably put two teams together that would challenge for the title. The boss normally deploys a 4-4-1-1 formation. He likes to use a mobile attacking midfielder (Claudio Lopez or Ariel Ortega) right behind his striker (Hernan Crespo or Gabriel Batistuta). There is also plenty of creativity behind the front men, with Juan Sebastian Veron, Kily Gonzalez, Javier Zanetti, Marcelo Gallardo or Pablo Aimar all able to turn the game on its head at any given time.

 
 
Juan Sebastian Veron. He is known as La Brujita (the little witch) for the way he glides across the whole pitch as if he were riding a broom. He scares his opponents, too, with his magical dribbling skills, elusive dummies and powerful free kicks. He has been a star wherever he has played -- at Boca Juniors, Sampdoria, Parma, Lazio and now Manchester United. He is Argentina's engine, working on overdrive to create chances for the front line. One of the best midfielders in the world.

Central defense. Bielsa needs to decide who is going to rule his back line, because he needs stability in the center of defense. Walter Samuel has cemented his spot; the question is over who will join him. There is veteran Nestor Sensini, who is nearing the end of his career and is not exactly blessed with speed. Roberto Ayala is dominant in the air, but he sometimes commits the mistake of holding onto the ball too often. Mauricio Pochettino has been solid but does not have a lot of international experience.

 
Crespo or Batistuta. Who will lead the Argentine attack? It seems that both strikers will not play together in Bielsa's tactical scheme, so it will be interesting to see who gets the nod. They are both proven goalscorers with different attributes. Crespo does all of his damage in the area, a true poacher, while Batistuta can score from practically anywhere with his intimidating firepower.

Argentina dominated the South American qualifying section, finishing in first place. Their only defeat was to Brazil in Sao Paulo, August 2000.

Argentina is playing in its 13th World Cup. It was champion in 1978 and 1986, and losing finalist in 1930 and 1990. It has won 29 games, drawn 18 and lost 10.

 
Argentina is my pick to win it all. If Bielsa does not commit the mistake of rotating his squad too much, it should have what it takes to win the cup for the third time. Their midfield is the best in the world, with Diego Simeone covering Veron, and Gonzalez and Zanetti causing havoc on the wings. And with a "matador" like Batistuta or Crespo in the middle, watch out!