Argentina vs Algeria Preview

The reigning world champions open their Group J campaign in the early hours of Wednesday morning as Argentina face Algeria at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. With Austria and Jordan the other two sides in the group, all eyes will be on whether Messi and his teammates can pick up where they left off at the last World Cup.

Argentina arrive at this tournament in extraordinary pre-tournament form, having won all five of their last matches without conceding a single goal. Their most recent outing produced a commanding 3–0 home win over Iceland — a polished performance just days before the tournament. Prior to that, they won 2–0 at home against Honduras. Before that, they dismantled Zambia 5–0 at home, and earlier in this run beat Mauritania 2–1 at home. The sequence began with a 2–0 away win in Angola. Five wins, fourteen goals scored, one conceded — Argentina head into this World Cup defending their title with the sort of momentum that sends a message to every other team in the competition.

Algeria arrive at this tournament on their own impressive run, having won three of their last five matches with their only defeat coming against Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations back in January. Their most recent outing produced a stunning 4–0 away win over Bolivia — a powerful statement just days before the opener. Prior to that, they caused one of the pre-tournament’s biggest shocks, winning 1–0 away at the Netherlands. Before that, they drew 0–0 at home against Uruguay. Earlier in this run, they hammered Guatemala 7–0 at home, and the sequence began with that 2–0 home defeat to Nigeria. Three wins and a draw from their last four matches — Algeria arrive as dark horses with genuine confidence, particularly after that result in Amsterdam.

The head-to-head record is limited to one recorded meeting, which Argentina won 4–3 away in Algeria in June 2007.

This is a genuinely compelling Group J opener. Argentina’s form is immaculate and the presence of Messi — in his final World Cup — adds an extra dimension to every match they play. Algeria’s win in the Netherlands shows they are more than capable of upsetting the established order, and their collective organisation and discipline makes them a difficult side to break down. Argentina are clear favourites, but Algeria will make this competitive.

In Argentina, the match is live on Televisión Pública, Telefe and TyC Sports Argentina. In Algeria, viewers can watch on ENTV and via beIN SPORTS CONNECT. In the UK and Ireland, the game is available on ITV 1 and ITVX, with STV and STV Player also carrying the fixture in Scotland.

Lineups & Injuries

Argentina (4-3-1-2) Martínez, Molina, Fernández, Martínez, Otamendi, Paul, Almada, Martínez, Allister, Medina, Messi

Argentina: Tagliafico (Out)

Algeria (4-2-3-1) Zidane, Aït-Nouri, Mandi, Bentaleb, Chergui, Boudaoui, Maza, Amoura, Mahrez, Gouiri, Belghali

Algeria: Bensebaini (Out)

Argentina will be without Nicolás Tagliafico after he picked up a calf strain against Honduras, though Emiliano Martínez, Nico González and Leandro Paredes are all expected to recover in time to feature. Algeria’s main loss is Ramy Bensebaini, ruled out with an ankle injury — his absence weakens their defensive options at left-back. Argentina’s depth at full-back means the impact is less acute for the champions.

Group J

Pos	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Austria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Argentina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Algeria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Jordan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Argentina Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Argentina	3 – 0	Iceland	International Friendly	Jun 10, 2026
✅	Argentina	2 – 0	Honduras	International Friendly	Jun 7, 2026
✅	Argentina	5 – 0	Zambia	International Friendly	Apr 1, 2026
✅	Argentina	2 – 1	Mauritania	International Friendly	Mar 27, 2026
✅	Angola	0 – 2	Argentina	International Friendly	Nov 14, 2025

Algeria Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Bolivia	0 – 4	Algeria	International Friendly	Jun 11, 2026
✅	Netherlands	0 – 1	Algeria	International Friendly	Jun 3, 2026
🤝	Algeria	0 – 0	Uruguay	International Friendly	Mar 31, 2026
✅	Algeria	7 – 0	Guatemala	International Friendly	Mar 27, 2026
❌	Algeria	0 – 2	Nigeria	Africa Cup of Nations	Jan 10, 2026

Head to Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Algeria	3 – 4	Argentina	International Friendly	Jun 5, 2007

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Argentina	Televisión Pública, TyC Sports Argentina, Telefe, Disney+ Premium Argentina
Algeria	ENTV, beIN SPORTS CONNECT
Great Britain	ITV 1, ITVX, STV, STV Player
Ireland	ITV 1, RTE 2, ITVX, RTE Player
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, FOX One
Germany	Das Erste, ORF eins, SRF zwei, MagentaTV
France	beIN Sports 1, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, myCANAL
Brazil	CazéTV
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, RDS App
Japan	DAZN Japan, NHK G TV