Former Nigeria midfielder Mutiu Adepoju in an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa has stated that Algeria face a tough task against defending champions Argentina in their opening match of the FIFA 2026 World Cup, but insists football has shown that surprises are always possible.
The North Africans begin their campaign against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in what is expected to be one of the most difficult fixtures of the first round, and Adepoju admits it would take something special for the North Africans to emerge victorious.
La Albiceleste are chasing history as they seek to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to retain the FIFA World Cup trophy. Lionel Scaloni has maintained remarkable continuity within his squad, with several of the stars who triumphed in Qatar four years ago still playing central roles for his team.
“It will be a very difficult game for Algeria and being their first game, it will take a huge miracle for them to win that game,” Adepoju told Footy-Africa. “Don’t forget, the Argentines are the defending champions and they still have Lionel Messi, one of the best to have played the game.”
“Argentina have the same core of their team from the 2022 World Cup win and they are also one of the favourites for this year’s edition.”
‘My goal against Spain was my best World Cup moment’ – Mutiu Adepoju
The Argentines head into the tournament as one of the teams tipped to challenge for the title again, alongside the likes of Spain, France and Brazil.
While Adepoju acknowledges Algeria’s quality, he believes the South Americans have the edge in almost every department.
“The Algerians have not really been impressive of late but I do hope they can cause an upset,” he said. “If you look at both teams, player for player, the Argentines are better, but football is a funny game. Anything can happen.”
The former Real Sociedad midfielder pointed to Saudi Arabia’s famous 2-1 victory over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup as proof that underdogs should never be written off.
At Qatar 2022, Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina their opening match despite entering the contest as overwhelming underdogs. The shock defeat threatened to derail Argentina’s campaign.
Instead, Scaloni’s men responded magnificently, winning every subsequent game on their way to lifting the trophy.
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Adepoju believes that result should serve as a reminder that reputations alone do not win football matches:
“Who knows, maybe Algeria can spring a surprise on Argentina like Saudi Arabia did four years ago when they beat them in Qatar even though Argentina later went on to win the competition.”
Algeria will be hoping to produce a memorable result against the reigning world champions and give Africa a dream start to the tournament. However, Adepoju believes sentiment and reality point in different directions.
“My Prediction? As an African, I want my fellow African team to win, but I also have to be realistic,” he said. “I believe Argentina will win the game by two clear goals. It could be 2-0 or 3-1, but Argentina will win this one.”
