Argentina begin their quest for a fourth World Cup title after winning in Qatar 2022 in one of the most dramatic finals in tournament history. Lionel Scaloni's side are aiming to become just the third nation to defend a World Cup crown, following Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962). The current era has brought Copa America wins on either side of the Qatar triumph, though questions remain about whether key players are in decline and whether hunger remains after a period of domination.
Argentina are familiar with slow starts. They lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their opening match four years ago before going on to lift the trophy. Group J also includes Austria and Jordan, a draw that should offer La Albiceleste a path to settle into the expanded 2026 tournament.
Messi is set to make history on Tuesday as the first player to appear at six World Cups. The forward turns 39 on June 24 and has dealt with injury niggles heading into the campaign. Centre back Cristian Romero is likely to be rusty after missing the end of the Premier League season with Tottenham Hotspur following a knee injury. Seventeen players from the Qatar 2022 squad are back, and Argentina's average age of 29 ranks among the highest at this World Cup.
Algeria's World Cup 2026 push
Algeria are not treating this as a routine group assignment. The 2019 AFCON winners qualified with a record eight wins and are targeting direct entry into the knockout stage rather than a repeat of their 2014 run, when they pushed eventual winners Germany to extra time before exiting.
Captain Riyad Mahrez remains a central figure for the Fennecs. Attacking options include 20-year-old Bayer Leverkusen forward Ibrahim Maza, nicknamed "Mazadona" in Algeria, Wolfsburg striker Mohamed Amoura who led African qualifying with 10 goals and four assists, and Manchester City's Rayan Ait-Nouri on the left flank. Bosnian coach Vladimir Petkovic, who enjoyed success with Switzerland has the side well drilled.
Group J and the new format
Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan make up Group J. Each team plays the others once in the opening stage. The top two from each of the 12 groups advance, along with the eight best third placed teams, into a newly introduced round of 32.
The winners of Group J are scheduled to face the runners up from Group H. Spain opened their campaign with a draw against Cape Verde, leaving a potential Argentina vs Spain round of 32 meeting on the table should both sides progress in that bracket.
