Lionel Scaloni’s Right-Back Swap Trick at the 2026 World Cup

What Happened in the Final Against Spain

Lionel Scaloni, the coach of Argentina’s national football team, used one of his favorite tricks again during the final match of the 2026 World Cup.

• The final was played against Spain at the MetLife Stadium.
• Nahuel Molina came into the game to replace Gonzalo Montiel on the right side of defense.
• This right-side defender switch is something Scaloni has done a lot during the tournament.

A Repeated Pattern in the Tournament

This was not a one-time thing. Scaloni has made this same kind of change many times:

• He did it in six out of eight matches Argentina played in the tournament.
• The players involved were always Molina and Montiel.
• No matter who started the game, the two players kept replacing each other during the match.

Important Point: Scaloni likes to refresh the right-back position by swapping Molina and Montiel, and he did this in most of Argentina’s World Cup games.

Something New This Time

In the final, something happened that had never happened before in the tournament:

• Montiel was the one who left the field.
• He was replaced by Molina, who had started the match on the bench (not playing at the beginning).
• Usually the swap went the other way around, but this time Montiel was the player taken out.

Why the Change Was Surprising

The swap caught people’s attention because Montiel was playing really well on defense.

• He was strong and stopped Spain’s attacks.
• He made one very important play:
  1. Dani Olmo (from Spain) got the ball.
  2. Olmo sent a low, dangerous cross into the area near Argentina’s goal.
  3. Marc Cucurella (another Spanish player) was ready to shoot.
  4. Montiel moved quickly and blocked Cucurella so he could not hit the ball.

Even though Montiel was doing a great job, Scaloni decided to bring in Molina to give the right side fresh energy.

Summary

Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni again swapped his right-side defenders in the 2026 World Cup final against Spain. He has now done this Molina-Montiel swap in six of Argentina’s eight tournament games. This time was special because Montiel—who was defending very well and even stopped a dangerous Spanish chance—was the one substituted, with Molina coming off the bench. Scaloni just wanted to keep his team fresh using his usual formula.

FAQ

1. Who are the two players Scaloni keeps swapping?
They are Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel, both right-side defenders for Argentina.

2. How often did Scaloni make this change in the World Cup?
He did it in six of the eight matches Argentina played.

3. Why was the final’s swap unusual?
Montiel usually stayed or started, but in the final he was the one taken out, and Molina came from the bench.

4. Was Montiel playing badly when he was substituted?
No, he was actually playing well and made a key defensive block before leaving.