Argentina get their World Cup defence underway against Algeria in Kansas City on Tuesday night.
Three and a half years after Lionel Messi guided Argentina to a glorious third World Cup triumph in Qatar, the South American side begin their 2026 tournament as the top-seeded favourites in Group J.
Lionel Scaloni’s men topped South American qualifying with 12 wins from 18 games and also won the 2024 Copa America, while their opponents in this Group J opener qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2014 as winners of CAF Group G.
Having reached the quarter-finals at last year’s Afcon – and with vivid memories of the round of 16 in their last appearance at this tournament – Vladimir Petkovic’s side are certainly a dark horse to look out for in this group.
Follow live updates from the Group J clash with our liveblog below:
Predicted line-ups
Argentina XI: Emiliano Martinez; Molina, Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Medina; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister, Almada; Messi, Alvarez
Algeria XI: Zidane; Belghali, Mandi, Chergui, Ait-Nouri; Bentaleb, Boudaoui; Mahrez, Maza, Amoura; Gouiri
Team news
Argentina left back Nicolas Tagliafico has been ruled out of this match after straining his calf in a warm-up game against Honduras, but Leandro Paredes and Nico Gonzalez are both close to full fitness after muscular problems.
Algeria’s Ramy Bensebaini, who can play left back or centre back, is out with an ankle injury. Otherwise, the underdogs have a full bill of health.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the UK can watch the match free-to-air on ITV 1, ITV X, STV and STV Player with coverage starting at 1:15am BST. It can also be live streamed on ITVX.
When is Argentina v Algeria?
Argentina face Algeria at 2am BST on Wednesday 17 June (8pm CT, Tuesday 17 June) at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Welcome
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Argentina vs Algeria.
The reigning champions get their World Cup title defence underway against one of two teams likely to battle for the second qualifying spot in Group J.
But several of the top teams, including Spain, have struggled in their opening encounters, so anything is possible…
Kick-off is at 2am BST, and we’ll have build-up, team news, and latest updates right here.
