Lionel Scaloni, manager of Argentina's men's national football team, has signed a contract extension that will keep him in the position until 2026, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced on Monday.

"(AFA President) Claudio Tapia and Lionel Scaloni met to close the extension of the contract as coach of the Senior Selection until 2026," the AFA said in a statement.

Scaloni was appointed Argentina's manager on a permanent base in November 2018. Eight months later, the team finished in third place at Copa America in Brazil. Then in the following edition of the tournament in 2021 (in Brazil again), Sacloni led Argentina to defeat Brazil 1-0 in the final, winning the championship for the first time in 28 years.

Scaloni's biggest highlight was in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year. Argentina struggled a bit in Group C with Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia but managed to advance to the knockout stage. From then on, Scaloni's team beat Australia, the Netherlands and Croatia in order in the Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals before meeting the reigning champions France in the final.

In the end, Argentina defeated France in a penalty shoot-out at the Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022, winning their third World Cup title.

Argentina's incredible performance enabled their ace Lionel Messi and manager Scaloni to win the men's player of the year and the men's coach of the year awards at FIFA's annual award ceremony in Paris on Monday night.

"I am eternally grateful to the president of the AFA for giving me the opportunity to coach this wonderful national team," Scaloni said of receiving the award. "I'm thankful for the players, those 26 who led us to glory. Without them we could not have achieved anything."

"When trust is high, the communication is simple and effective. We will continue to invest in our national team project, along with Lionel Scaloni, manager of the world champions," Tapia said in a news release.