Lucas Rey analyzed Los Leones’ rivals in the 2026 World Cup

The Argentine men’s team has a great goal in 2026: the World Cup in August. Lucas Rey, the coach of the senior team spoke with AM850.com about the Group that was assigned to Los Leones and what they must do to overcome the first phase of the tournament.

The draw that took place on March 17 determined the fate of each of the countries in the World Cup that will take place in Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30. For the men who wear the albiceleste, chance led them to cross paths on Sunday, August 16 at 2:00 p.m. (Argentine time) with Japan (14th), on Tuesday the 18th with the Dutch, number 1 in the international ranking, at 1:00 p.m., and they will close the first phase on Thursday the 20th with New Zealand (11th) at 7:30 in the morning.

Lucas Rey, spoke about the opponents and what they must do to get into the top eight of the competition. About the first crossing with the Asians he said: “Japan did not have a great continental cup, it finished 5th, and like the last Nations Cup, where it finished 7th, it revealed many ups and downs throughout both tournaments. Not so in his last competition. In the World Cup qualifier in Egypt we already saw a much more solid team. As a strength. Their defensive order predominates, starting from a very resistant physical base and generating very aggressive offensive transitions. Breaking their low block early so they don’t close behind is going to be important,” explained the team leader.

The second rival will be the local team: Netherlands. “It is one of the best teams in the world, undoubtedly a candidate for the title, which in the last important tournaments never dropped below 3rd place. With a lot of offensive play, continuous search for possession, great short corners and with the drive of their people playing at home they will be a very tough rival.“Rey said.

The closing will be with New Zealand: “They are a team on the rise, comes from a solid 2025 where although they lost direct qualification with Australia, they also entered the World Cup since the Oceania champion qualified via Pro League. They are a physical team and very direct in their game. It will be important to win individual duels and take care of the aerial game. Last year after winning the Nations Cup (6-1 against Pakistan) he could have played in the Pro League but he did not do so due to economic reasons,” said Lucas. And he added a detail to take into account: “Players like Nic Woods and the young Jonty Elmes are at a very high level.”

For Los Leones, who have a tour to Belgium (March 28 to April 9), the next most immediate step is the Pro League in June in Europe and then the World Cup. However, he will be able to see two of his rivals in the Nations Cup which will be in the same month. “As a coaching staff we have not yet faced Japan and New Zealand. This tournament (the Nations Cup) will give us information about them,” the coach concluded.