While Argentina played its first match in the 2026 World Cup, the consulting firm Giacobbe published a public opinion report that portrayed the emotional state of Argentines regarding the tournament. The survey, carried out between June 5 and 10 on 2,500 cases and a margin of error of 2%, provided data that reveals the specific weight of football in the collective psyche.
The most striking finding is the tension between pocketbook and passion: the 44.2% would choose for the National Team to become champions again even if the economy does not improvein front of the 48.8% who would prefer an economic improvement even if Argentina has a bad World Cup. The difference is narrow, but the data becomes more tense when it is crossed by age: in the 31 to 50 age group, the 50.3% would choose the title over economic well-beingan inversion of priorities that expresses how much football weighs on national identity.
The expectation for the tournament is directly proportional to that fervor: the 71.5% believe that Argentina is going to be championa figure that comfortably exceeds the 52.8% that held that conviction before Qatar 2022. Women are the most believers: the 77.5% He bet on the title, against 65.1% of the men. Scaloni, in addition, was chosen as the coach with the greatest merit in history by the 81.7% of those consulted, above Bilardo (11.5%) and Menotti (3.9%).
The image of the players is almost unanimously positive. Julián Álvarez leads with 93.2%followed by Scaloni (92.3%) and Dibu Martínez (92.2%). Messi reaps 90.9%. In the historical debate, the 73% chose him as the best Argentine playeragainst the 22.8% who preferred Maradona; among those over 51 years of age, however, the distance narrows significantly.
The most contrasting case is that of Rodrigo De Paul, whose positive image fell from 85.1% in December 2022 to the current 63%. The data could be read in an extra-sports way: his separation from Tini Stoessel would have eroded a popularity that was once overwhelming.
Chiqui Tapia is the great villain of the World Cup story. The president of the AFA concentrates the 42.7% negative imagewith only 14.2% positive. When respondents had to define it in one word, they responded: corrupt, squirt, gangster. He 44.8% He maintains that he should not have attended the tournament while being investigated by Justice.
On the political level, the Argentines are forceful: the 85.5% consider that a possible title would not favor Milei in the legislative electionsand the 93.4% He affirms that the sporting victory would not change his vote. The politicization of football, at least in this direction, does not catch on.
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