Defending champions Argentina will finally get their 2026 FIFA World Cup journey underway on Tuesday when they face Algeria in their opening Group J fixture in Kansas City.
La Albiceleste are chasing history as they seek to become only the third nation to successfully retain the World Cup trophy. Meanwhile, Algeria arrive with ambitions of progressing beyond the group stage and making another memorable run on football’s biggest stage.
Argentina’s record in opening World Cup matches is impressive. The last time they failed to score in their tournament opener was in 1990, when they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Cameroon. Since then, the South American giants have enjoyed a perfect record against African opponents at the World Cup, winning all six encounters.
However, Lionel Scaloni’s men know better than to underestimate any opponent. Their surprise defeat to Saudi Arabia at Qatar 2022 served as a reminder that every World Cup fixture presents its own challenges before they eventually lifted the trophy.
The two nations have met only once before, in an entertaining friendly at Camp Nou in June 2007. Argentina emerged 4-3 winners on that occasion, with Lionel Messi scoring the first two international goals of his career.
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Alongside Austria and Jordan, both sides will be aiming to secure one of the top two spots in Group J, which guarantees qualification for the knockout rounds.
Ranked 28th in the FIFA World Rankings, Algeria are preparing for their fifth World Cup appearance and their first since Brazil 2014, where they reached the knockout stage for the only time in their history.
The Fennec Foxes booked their place in North America in convincing fashion, topping their CAF qualifying group despite one defeat. They sealed qualification with a game to spare and finished among the continent’s highest-scoring teams.
Although their AFCON campaign ended in the quarter-finals, head coach Vladimir Petkovic has overseen encouraging progress. Algeria demolished Guatemala 7-0 in March before drawing 0-0 with Uruguay. More recently, they recorded victories over the Netherlands and Bolivia and have conceded just twice in their last six matches.
Team news
Argentina have received a major boost with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez declared fit after recovering from a finger injury sustained before the UEFA Europa League final. Leandro Paredes and Nico Gonzalez are also expected to be available despite recent muscle concerns.
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However, Nicolas Tagliafico will miss the match after suffering a calf injury in Argentina’s warm-up clash against Honduras. Facundo Medina and Valentin Barco are among the leading candidates to replace him at left-back.
Algeria also face concerns on the left side of defence, with Ramy Bensebaini still struggling with an ankle problem. Samir Chergui and Zineddine Belaid are competing for a starting berth in his absence.
In attack, Marseille forward Amine Gouiri has returned after missing AFCON through injury and is expected to partner the dangerous Mohammed Amoura, who enjoyed another productive season with Wolfsburg.
Prediction
Argentina to win with odds of 1.46 on 1xbet.
Player to watch
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
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The veteran winger Riyad Mahrez contributed eight goals and 14 assists for Al Ahli last season and remains Algeria’s creative talisman, boasting 39 goals and 21 assists in 117 international appearances.
