📋 Reigning champions Argentina set for Copa 2026 opener | OneFootball

This Tuesday (16), Argentina takes the field to face Algeria at 10 p.m. (Brasília time) in Kansas City, in both teams’ debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

La Albiceleste and the African side are in Group J of the tournament, alongside Austria and Jordan, who face each other on Wednesday (17) at 1 a.m. (Brasília time) in Santa Clara, also in the United States.  

Three-time world champions (1978, 1986 and 2022) and current leaders of the FIFA rankings, Argentina are on a seven-match unbeaten run (seven wins in friendlies).

La Albiceleste’s last defeat came on September 9, 2025, when they lost 1-0 away to Ecuador in the final round of the South American qualifiers. 

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With a squad made up of major names in world football, such as Enzo Fernández, De Paul, Thiago Almada and Lautaro Martínez, as well as Palmeiras’ “Brazilian” Flaco López, Argentina’s biggest star is Lionel Messi, who is heading to his “last dance” at the World Cup.

By taking the field against Algeria, Lionel Messi becomes the first male footballer to play in six editions of the World Cup (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026).

Will La Albiceleste live up to their favorite status and dominate Group J, or can the Algerians, Austrians and Jordanians pull off an upset in one of the matches? 

Leave your opinion in the comments!

📋 Check out Argentina’s lineup

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

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