The national team's goalkeeper spoke at an AFA event in New York and expressed his excitement about the upcoming World Cup
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On the eve of the 2026 World Cup draw, which will capture global attention in Washington, D.C. this Friday, December 5, Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez expressed his excitement for the upcoming World Cup, where the Argentina National Team will seek to add its fourth star.
Martínez participated in the event "AFA as a Global Brand, The Power of a Brand" via video call, held in New York and hosted by Sergio Goycochea. The activity was part of AFA's strategy to showcase the international growth of its brand and present new developments in the AFA Global program.
El Dibu partició del evento "AFA as a Global Brand, The Power of a Brand"
In this context, the Mar del Plata native highlighted the special feeling that footballers experience before an event of this magnitude: "It's not just me; most of those who have played in a World Cup have that butterfly in their stomach, which is hard to explain, but I'm more excited about this one than the previous one."
Dibu also spoke about what it means to wear the Albiceleste jersey: "Winning individual titles or with my club is like the cherry on top, but the entire dessert of my career has always been playing with the Argentina National Team." He added: "When I play with the National Team, I feel like the ball doesn't go in, I have an entire country and my family behind me."
Regarding his preparation for 2026, the Aston Villa goalkeeper stated that he feels at his best both physically and mentally. "For me, it goes beyond that. I have a privileged physique; I can play two days later. You're going to play 60 matches as if there were no World Cup at the end of the season, because otherwise it's hard to perform at 100%," he explained.
World Cup draw and format
The group stage draw will take place this Friday, December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., although six spots will still be unclaimed that day: four from UEFA and two from the international play-off, which will be decided in March 2026.
The 23rd edition of the World Cup will feature 48 national teams for the first time. There will be 12 groups of 4 teams, with the top two and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32. In total, 104 matches will be played over 39 days of competition.
The tournament will open on June 11, 2026 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico and will conclude on July 29 with the grand final at MetLife Stadium in New York.
