Lionel Messi came off the bench as Argentina, the World Cup champions, won 1-0 against Chile in a World Cup qualifying match Thursday night.

Argentina beat Chile 1-0 on Matchday 15 of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, thanks to a goal from Julian Alvarez in the first half.

Argentina may have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, but that wouldn't stop them from defeating Chile 1-0. It was a chance for Lionel Scaloni to get a look at players deeper down his roster as a youthful attack of Julian Alvarez,

Chile predicted lineup vs Argentina (4-3-3): Cortés; Loyola, Maripán, Sierralta, Suazo; Vidal, Echeverria, Pizarro; Osorio, Sanchez, Valdés. Lionel Messi is back with the national team after a seventh-month layoff, and the all-time great currently leads the CONMEBOL qualifying scoring charts with six goals.

Argentina visit Chile this Thursday for the South American 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Find out here the confirmed lineups for this game.

While Argentina’s path to the World Cup seems secure, Chile is hanging by a thread. Sitting last in the table with only 10 points, La Roja needs nothing less than a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Colombia are aiming to end their slump in style on Tuesday night against the leaders of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table, Argentina.

Chile will miss its third straight World Cup after losing 2-0 at Bolivia on Tuesday to remain last in South America's 10-team round-robin competition. Bolivia kept its hopes alive for an inter-continental playoff spot in a bid to reach the 2026 tournament in the United States,