Following a successful 2025, where Argentina again defeated Australia and New Zealand and managed to maintain the sixth position in the World Rugby Ranking—a status that made them a seeded team for the Rugby World Cup in Australia—the team led by Felipe Contepomi proved that it is no longer about isolated successes, but about sustained competitiveness against the best. In this sense, the creation of the Nations Championship appears to be a decisive factor. Far from being a transitional year, 2026 appears to be a key season in the process of solidifying Los Pumas within the world rugby elite. Although the absence of the Rugby Championship could be seen as a disadvantage in preparation for the 2027 World Cup, the new international scenario will ultimately offer the Argentine team an unprecedented opportunity to firmly establish itself among the powers. The starting point is the context with which Argentina will approach that year. If Argentina meets that demand, the objective will cease to be 'pulling off an upset' to become more ambitious: to permanently establish itself among the world rugby powers and arrive at the 2027 World Cup with solid arguments to compete on equal terms with anyone. In this context, every match in 2026 will function as a real test, not just an isolated friendly match. For all this, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for Los Pumas. Not only because of the quantity and quality of opponents, but because the context will force them to maintain a high level in every performance. The competition will systematically pit the teams of the Southern Hemisphere against the powers of the Northern Hemisphere, which will force Los Pumas to measure themselves throughout the year against opponents of diverse styles, a high pace of play, and maximum tactical demand. This continuity against top world teams is precisely one of the elements that historically marked the difference between established teams and those seeking to make the definitive leap. Beyond not facing New Zealand and South Africa in 2026 (not yet confirmed)—two rivals against whom they have started to 'find their footing' in recent years—the calendar will propose challenges of equal complexity. Scotland, Wales, England, Ireland, and France today represent different world-class models of play, and competing sustainably against them will allow Argentina to expand its tactical range, strengthen decision-making, and gain maturity in adverse scenarios, something crucial in World Cup competitions. Furthermore, the permanent high level of demand will force Contepomi and his technical staff to reach important conclusions: to solidify a stable squad, adjust roles, deepen a playing identity, and polish details that, in a World Cup, often make the difference between competing and transcending.
