Lionel Scaloni now faces the task of taking the team forward without his 39-year-old talisman Lionel Messi, who has retired from international football. (EPA Images pic)BUENOS AIRES: Lionel Scaloni on Thursday agreed to stay on as coach of Argentina's national football team until after the 2030 World Cup, ending the doubts that had been swirling since this year's World Cup final defeat.

Scaloni's decision to renew his contract was announced by Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia at a press conference with the 48-year-old manager.

Scaloni, who took the Albiceleste to victory at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, told reporters he was as enthusiastic as "on day one".

"A new project begins now," he said a month after Lionel Messi, the team's leading light for 20 years, bowed out of international football.