Messi, Argentina begin World Cup title defence against Algeria: All to know

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.

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.