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Argentina will debut this Tuesday in the against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, with the match scheduled for 9:00 PM Cuba time. This will be the first step for the Albiceleste towards an achievement that no country has accomplished in over six decades: .
Only Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) have achieved that historic double in the entire history of the tournament.
The team led by Lionel Scaloni arrives in an enviable form: seven consecutive victories, the title of the 2024 Copa América —with a goal from Lautaro Martínez in the 112th minute of the final against Colombia—and the top spot in the FIFA rankings reclaimed just days before the start of the tournament.
Scaloni maintains the core of the champion team from Qatar 2022, with 17 players from that squad included in the current call-up, and adds young talents like Nico Paz and Valentín Barco for the generational transition.
The team is still led by Lionel Messi, 38 years old, in what is likely to be his last World Cup.
The star himself acknowledged in 2025 that the 2026 tournament would be "the most logical" farewell, although he also warned that if he does not feel physically fit, "it's not good, he struggles, and I'd prefer not to be there."
Messi arrived recovered for the tournament after suffering a strain in his left hamstring on May 25, although doctors ruled out any tear.
The Argentine preparation, however, has been marked by a series of physical issues that worry Scaloni before the debut.
Nicolás Tagliafico has been ruled out for today's match, while the full-backs Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel have just recovered from their respective injuries.
Emiliano Martínez is dealing with a small fracture in a finger, Cristian Romero barely saw any playing time in the previous friendlies, and Julián Álvarez has recovered from an injury he sustained while with Atlético de Madrid.
Leandro Paredes was included in the squad despite recovering from a recent muscle tear.
The most likely formation points to a 4-3-3 with De Paul, Enzo Fernández, and Mac Allister in midfield, and Messi as the offensive reference.
In front will be a Algeria returning to the World Cup after 12 years of absence, having not participated in either Russia 2018 or Qatar 2022.
Under the leadership of Vladimir Petkovic —who led Switzerland to the Round of 16 in Russia 2018— the Algerians arrive with impressive results that establish them as a formidable opponent: they thrashed Guatemala 7-0, defeated Bolivia 4-0, and triumphed over the Netherlands 1-0 so far in 2026.
His only recent major disappointment was the elimination in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, where they lost 2-0 to Nigeria.
Captain Riyad Mahrez leads a group that combines experience with the youth of Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen) and Rayan Aït-Nouri (Manchester City), along with forwards Amine Gouiri and Anis Hadj Moussa.
Argentina and Algeria have never faced each other in a World Cup, adding a historic element to the Group J matchup, which also includes Austria and Jordan.
While the Albiceleste will try to confirm their status as favorites, the African teams will seek to pull off the first major surprise of the tournament and demonstrate that their return to the biggest stage in world football is not an accident.
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