sport news World Cup 2022: Can Lionel Messi and Argentina win in Qatar? trends now

Glance at the latest World Cup winner odds for Qatar and Argentina are barely in the conversation.

Their great South American rivals Brazil are understandably the favourites, having breezed through qualifying, with the reigning champions France not far behind.

Then come Gareth Southgate's England, hopefully still with something more to give after last year's Euro heartbreak. A resurgent Spain are next in the bookies' estimation.

Only then do we come to Argentina and even then they're not very far ahead of Germany and Belgium in the cluster of second-tier prospects.

But after Lionel Messi and Co outclassed Italy to become the unofficial best team in the world in Wednesday night's Finalissima, maybe there should be a rethink.

Italy, of course, won't even be in Qatar having somehow conspired to lose to North Macedonia in a play-off just months after peaking perfectly last summer, so everything is relative.

But the way Messi provoked an almost orgiastic reaction from an adoring Wembley crowd with his dazzling footwork, the way Angel Di Maria ran the show and the manner in which Argentina were quickest to every ball showed how much they have to offer.

It was a masterclass from start to finish and it seemed at times when Argentina bossed possession and sliced through Italy's lumbering back line that all of the excitable sell-out crowd were wearing blue and white and waving banners of Diego Maradona.

It will suit Argentina to be considered a dark horse as they chase the dream of a third World crown in the Middle-East this winter. 

Wednesday night's impressive win equalled a national record of 32 consecutive matches unbeaten, a sequence dating back to their 2-0 defeat to Brazil in the semi-finals of the 2019 Copa America.

It makes them the form team of the international game and they're now just five shy of the all-time record that Italy themselves set last year.

While Brazil have gone through qualification undefeated, so have Argentina, though something may have to give when they finally meet again in September after CONMEBOL insisted their controversially-suspended game from September 2021 be rescheduled.