Messi, Argentina begin World Cup title defence against Algeria: All to know
Superstar Lionel Messi is back for a sixth World Cup and leads Argentina into their group match debut against Algeria. Who: Argentina vs Algeria What
Superstar Lionel Messi is back for a sixth World Cup and leads Argentina into their group match debut against Algeria. Who: Argentina vs Algeria What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match Where: Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, United States When: Tuesday, 8pm (01:00 GMT on Wednesday) How to follow: Keep up with all updates on Al Jazeera Sport We might be six days into World Cup 2026, but many purists feel the tournament isn’t truly under way until the defending champions, Argentina, and their iconic star Lionel Messi, take to the stage. After winning the Qatar World Cup in 2022 in one of the most dramatic games in history, Argentina begin their quest for a fourth title when they face Algeria in their opening Group J fixture at Kansas City on Tuesday night. Can ageing Argentina win back-to-back World Cup titles? Lionel Scaloni’s side are seeking to become just the third nation ever to defend a World Cup title after Italy (wins in 1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962). This has been a golden era of Argentinian football with Copa America wins either side of their Qatar 2022 success, but nobody is quite sure what we’re going to get from La Albiceleste this time around. Are key players in decline? Is the hunger still there after a period of domination? Argentina are no stranger to slow starts, having lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia en route to their third World Cup triumph four years ago. However, a group containing Algeria, Austria and Jordan should give them a good opportunity to ease into the tournament. While Messi is set to make history on Tuesday as the first man to appear in six World Cups, the star forward – who turns 39 on June 24 – and has been plagued by injury niggles. Elsewhere on the team, centre back Cristian Romero is likely to be rusty after missing the end of the Premier League season with Tottenham Hotspur after a knee injury.
There’s plenty of team continuity with 17 players from the victorious Qatar 2022 squad back to defend their crown. Argentina’s average player age of 29 is one of the highest in the tournament, and it remains to be seen if the 2026 edition represents another golden opportunity to add to the South American nation’s storied World Cup history or if the team is already on the downside. Algeria aiming to turn heads at World Cup Gone are the days when North African teams could be written off as a routine three points for global powerhouses. The Fennecs are not heading to World Cup 2026 and trying to sneak a third-place finish as they did in their last World Cup appearance in 2014 when they took eventual winners Germany to extra time. This time, Algeria – the 2019 AFCON winners – qualified for the tournament with a record eight wins and are aiming for direct entry into the knockout stage. Inspirational captain Riyad Mahrez will lead his team into the 2026 campaign and remains a key player for the North African nation. Algeria fans are excited by the attacking potential of 20-year-old Leverkusen forward Ibrahim Maza, who is looking to make a name for himself on the biggest stage and is known as “Mazadona” in his country. Wolfsburg striker Mohamed Amoura led the scoring in African qualifying with 10 goals and four assists while Man City’s Rayan Ait-Nouri is a key player on the left flank, and Algeria have been well drilled by Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic, who enjoyed success with Switzerland. How does the group stage work? Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan are in Group J. They will play each other once in the initial stage of the tournament. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – will proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time.
The BriefWire