FIFA amnesty for Otamendi, free to face Algeria in opener | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi had been sent off against Ecuador in the final round of the qualifiers and was due to serve a one-match suspension, but FIFA cleared him to play following a request from the AFA.

Defender Nicolás Otamendi received great news this Friday morning because he will be available for Argentina’s opener against Algeria, in the first matchday of Group J at the 2026 World Cup, after being granted amnesty by FIFA following his red card against Ecuador in the final round of the qualifiers.

Otamendi will be present for the World Cup opener

The Benfica player had been shown a red card in September last year, at the end of the qualification campaign for the World Cup, when he brought down Enner Valencia, who was through on goal, near the edge of the box. Referee Wilmar Roldán sent him off without needing to consult VAR, marking the center-back’s first dismissal for the Albiceleste.

Since Argentina had not played another official match because the Finalissima scheduled for March was canceled, the rules meant Otamendi had to serve the suspension in the first match Lionel Scaloni’s side played at the World Cup, which will be on June 16 at 10 p.m. in Kansas.

However, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) had submitted a request seeking amnesty, which FIFA accepted, and the 38-year-old player, who could join River after the World Cup, received the notification this Friday.

“The Argentine Football Association, through its president Claudio Tapia, carried out efforts before the FIFA Bureau so that Nicolás Otamendi could be eligible for the first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following his sending-off against the Ecuador national team in the last match of the Conmebol South American qualifiers,” the AFA said in a statement when the process began. They also clarified that they had the support of South American Football Confederation president Alejandro Domínguez and Ecuador player Moisés Caicedo.

In this way, although Scaloni has not yet submitted the list of 26 called-up players — which can be presented until May 30 — the coach said during the last FIFA international window that he had the squad “pretty clear,” and barring any setbacks, Otamendi will be there.

With 130 appearances and eight goals for Argentina, the center-back is shaping up to start in his fourth World Cup. It remains to be seen whom the coach chooses as his partner, since Cuti Romero will arrive lacking match fitness due to an injury.

Argentina, the reigning world champion and two-time Copa América champion, tops Group J at the 2026 World Cup: it will face Algeria in its opener, then Austria on Monday the 22nd at 2 p.m. in the second match, and will close against Jordan on Saturday the 27th at 11 p.m.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.