Brazil suddenly finds itself swimming in unchartered waters after its shocking 1-0 loss to Argentina in the 2026 World Cup Qualifying on Tuesday.

The stinging loss was Brazil's first-ever at home in a World Cup Qualifier, per ESPN FC.

Nicolas Otamendi's header in the 64th minute was the only goal of the match. It was enough as Argentina shocked thousands of Brazilians at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Argentina won despite Lionel Messi failing to score his first-ever goal against Brazil in CONMEBOL competition. He seemingly injured his right quadricep in the first half. A trainer evaluated his leg on the sideline. Apparently, the injury wasn't serious enough to keep Messi out of the game. He played a total of 77 minutes on Tuesday.

Brazil coach Fernando Diniz recently admitted his troops were scared of Messi leading up to their FIFA World Cup Qualifying match.

Lionel Messi's former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Marquinhos knew about the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's reputation beforehand.

“Messi is a genius and a special player, and despite his age, he will always do great things,” Marquinhos quipped on Tuesday. Despite Brazil's fears of Lionel Messi, he didn't score in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier. Nevertheless, the Brazilians' loss to the Argentinians on Tuesday will sting for some time.

The match was delayed for almost 30 minutes because of fighting in the stands. Lionel Messi and his teammates intervened and helped quell the tension.