Argentina is currently ranked by FIFA as the second-best national team in the world, behind only France.

The country has taken part in 19 World Cups and won the tournament three times: in 1978, 1986 and most recently in 2022.

Always among the favourites for the title, the ‘Albiceleste’ have not missed a World Cup since 1970 – 56 years ago.

Switzerland, meanwhile, is currently ranked by FIFA as the 14th best team in the world. The ‘Nati’ has taken part in 13 editions of the tournament, but has never won it.

Although they have never lifted the trophy, Switzerland have become a regular fixture in the competition, qualifying for every edition over the last 20 years.

This year’s campaign is already among the best in the European nation’s World Cup history. The team reached the quarter-finals for the fourth time, something that had not happened since 1954, 72 years ago.

When it comes to the ‘Ballon d'Or’, Argentina also holds the upper hand.

In Lionel Scaloni’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, five players have already been nominated for the Ballon d'Or – including Lionel Messi, the most successful winner in the award’s history, with eight wins.

Ballon d'Or nominees and winners in Argentina’s squad for the 2026 World Cup:

  1. Lionel Messi (nominated in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023; winner in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023)

  2. Lautaro Martínez (nominated in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025)

  3. Julián Alvarez (nominated in 2023)

  4. Emiliano Martínez (nominated in 2023 and 2024)

  5. Alexis Mac Allister (nominated in 2025)

Messi has also been nominated for the Gerd Müller Trophy.

Nominees and winners of the Gerd Müller Trophy in Argentina’s squad for the 2026 World Cup:

  1. Lionel Messi (nominated in 2023)

In addition, Emiliano Martínez – Argentina’s first-choice goalkeeper at the tournament – has four nominations and two wins for the Yashin Trophy.

Nominees and winners of the Yashin Trophy in Argentina’s squad for the 2026 World Cup:

  1. Emiliano Martínez (nominated in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025, winner in 2023 and 2024)

Manager Scaloni himself is also a familiar face at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, having been nominated for the Johan Cruyff Trophy.

Nominees and winners of the Johan Cruyff Trophy at the helm of the Argentina squad for the 2026 World Cup:

  1. Lionel Scaloni (nominated in 2024)

Switzerland, meanwhile, has just one player in its squad for the 2026 World Cup who has previously been nominated for the Ballon d'Or: captain Granit Xhaka.

Ballon d'Or nominees in the Swiss squad for the 2026 World Cup:

  1. Granit Xhaka (nominated in 2024)

Manager Murat Yakin will also have goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, a former nominee for the Yashin Trophy, at his disposal for the quarter-final clash.

Players nominated for the Yashin Trophy in Switzerland’s squad for the 2026 World Cup:

  1. Gregor Kobel (nominated in 2024)

Argentina, however, also boasts superior historical figures in the Ballon d'Or, with more than three times as many players nominated for the award compared to Switzerland.

This statistic is all the more striking when one considers that Swiss players have been eligible for the award since the first YBallon d'Or ceremony in 1956, whilst Argentinians only became eligible when the award was opened up to non-European players in 1995.

This means that Argentina has managed to accumulate more Ballon d'Or nominations than Switzerland in less than half the number of ceremonies.

In total, the Albiceleste have had 26 different players nominated for the award, whilst Switzerland’s list comprises eight names.

Argentina’s dominance at the awards is such that, since players from the country became eligible for the award, there has been only one year in history in which no Argentine player was nominated: 2022.

Ironically, it was precisely at the end of that very year that Argentina won their third and most recent World Cup, after a 36-year wait.

Switzerland, meanwhile, has gone through 60 editions of the awards without a single player being nominated (the most recent being at last year’s ceremony).

Despite this clear dominance when comparing the two countries, only one Argentine player has actually won the award – Messi, with a record eight wins.

Argentine players who have won the ‘Ballon d'Or’:

  1. Lionel Messi (winner in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023)

In addition to his wins, he received a total of 16 nominations for the award between 2006 and 2023.

It is worth noting that these figures do not include Alfredo Di Stéfano, who received five nominations for the ‘Ballon d'Or’ and won the award on two occasions (in 1957 and 1959). The legendary striker – who also won the Super-Ballon d'Or in 1989 – was born in Argentina and represented the country’s national team early in his career. Later, however, he switched to represent Spain, for whom he played until the end of his international career. All his nominations and wins at the Ballon d'Or came after this switch, whilst he was already playing for the Spanish national team.

If we consider only players who were representing Argentina when they received their nominations, Messi is the Albiceleste’s sole winner. Apart from him, other legends from the country have racked up numerous nominations over the years and have become regular fixtures at the ceremony.

Argentine players with the most ‘Ballon d'Or’ nominations:

  1. Lionel Messi – 16 nominations

  2. Gabriel Batistuta / Sergio Agüero – 7 nominations

  3. Hernán Crespo / Juan Sebastián Verón / Lautaro Martínez – 4 nominations

No Swiss player has ever won the award, and only one player in the country’s history – Stéphane Chapuisat – has received more than one nomination.

Swiss players with multiple nominations for the ‘Ballon d'Or’:

  1. Stéphane Chapuisat (nominated in 1991, 1992 and 1993)

Chapuisat is also the Swiss player who achieved the highest ranking, finishing 9th in both 1992 and 1993.

Looking at the history of the Ballon d'Or, however, Argentina clearly has the upper hand.

But football is a game of surprises.

Who knows what might happen?

We’ll soon find out.