On 20 May 2017, the Argentine Football Association announced that Sampaoli would take over as the new coach of the national team.
He was officially presented on 1 June 2017.
Sampaoli's first game in charge was a friendly match against Brazil on 9 June in Australia, with Argentina winning 1–0.

However, Argentina struggled during the qualifiers, and it took a Lionel Messi hat trick at Ecuador to confirm qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
On 14 May 2018, Sampaoli announced a 35-man preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup.
He announced the final squad on 21 May 2018.

At the World Cup, Argentina had drawn 1–1 with Iceland during their opening World Cup group match, an underwhelming performance that drew criticism from former Argentine captain and coach Diego Maradona.
In the next group match, Argentina suffered a heavy 0–3 loss by Croatia due to "a defence left exposed, a midfield that was overrun and an attack that was blunted", which put them on the brink of elimination and led to unconfirmed reports that Sampaoli would be sacked.
Senior members of the team including Messi and Javier Mascherano confronted Sampaoli and his assistants in the dressing room, while also approaching members of the Argentine FA to discuss their concerns, and there were also rumors that Messi was involved in team selection which undermined Sampaoli's authority.
The match against Croatia was his 13th game in charge, where he had used 13 lineups and a total of 59 players, and despite a myriad of attacking choices the defence was poor.

Sampaoli remained in his position, as Argentina defeated Nigeria 2–1 in the third group match to advance to the knockout stage.
In the round of 16, Argentina lost to France 4–3 and were eliminated from the tournament.

On 15 July 2018, the Argentine Football Association announced that Sampaoli had left his position as national coach by mutual consent.
On 20 May 2017, the Argentine Football Association announced that Sampaoli would take over as the new coach of the national team. He was officially presented on 1 June 2017. Sampaoli's first game in charge was a friendly match against Brazil on 9 June in Australia, with Argentina winning 1–0.
However, Argentina struggled during the qualifiers, and it took a Lionel Messi hat trick at Ecuador to confirm qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 14 May 2018, Sampaoli announced a 35-man preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup. He announced the final squad on 21 May 2018.
At the World Cup, Argentina had drawn 1–1 with Iceland during their opening World Cup group match, an underwhelming performance that drew criticism from former Argentine captain and coach Diego Maradona. In the next group match, Argentina suffered a heavy 0–3 loss by Croatia due to "a defence left exposed, a midfield that was overrun and an attack that was blunted", which put them on the brink of elimination and led to unconfirmed reports that Sampaoli would be sacked. Senior members of the team including Messi and Javier Mascherano confronted Sampaoli and his assistants in the dressing room, while also approaching members of the Argentine FA to discuss their concerns, and there were also rumors that Messi was involved in team selection which undermined Sampaoli's authority. The match against Croatia was his 13th game in charge, where he had used 13 lineups and a total of 59 players, and despite a myriad of attacking choices the defence was poor.
Sampaoli remained in his position, as Argentina defeated Nigeria 2–1 in the third group match to advance to the knockout stage. In the round of 16, Argentina lost to France 4–3 and were eliminated from the tournament.
On 15 July 2018, the Argentine Football Association announced that Sampaoli had left his position as national coach by mutual consent.
Jorge Sampaoli