The Argentina team will debut in the 2026 World Cup. The Albiceleste will face Algeria at the Kansas City Stadium, also known as Arrowhead Stadium. The South American team will open Group J of the World Cup.

Argentina will be the fourth Conmebol team to see action in the World Cup. The South American representatives have not yet been able to win their first match in this edition of the World Cup (Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco; Paraguay's 4-1 defeat with the United States; Ecuador's defeat 1-0 with the Ivory Coast and Uruguay's 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia).

The Albiceleste and Argelia have only faced each other once in senior teams. This precedent dates back to June 2007 when they met in a friendly at the Camo Nou. Argentina took the victory 4-3 with two goals from a young Lionel Messi.

Lionel Scaloni's team will face Argentina's usual rival in the World Cup. It is already a norm that the Albiceleste faces a representative of the African Football Confederation in the first round. Argentina has won its last six World Cup matches against African opponents.

Although there was talk of Lionel Messi's muscle problems, everything seems to indicate that the Argentine will be ready for action in the opening duel. The player who could arrive amid doubts due to his competitive pace is Emiliano Martínez.

The spotlight in Algeria will be on players of the caliber of Aït-Nouri, Wolverhampton winger, Ismaël Bennacer, AC Milan midfielder and the “Last Dance” of Riyad Mahrez at 35 years old. Algeria will try to make a strong splash in this World Cup after 12 years of absence.

Schedule and where you can watch the duel between Argentina and Algeria for the World Cup

Time in the United States: 9:00 p.m. ET and 6:00 p.m. PT.

Broadcast in the United States: FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FOX One, SiriusXM FC and Futbol de Primera Radio.

Argentina's probable lineup

Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico; Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister; Thiago Almada, Lionel Messi, Giuliano Simeone; Julian Alvarez.

Algeria's probable lineup

Luca Zidane; Rafik Belghali, Aïssa Mandi, Ramy Bensebaini, Rayan Aït-Nouri; Fares Chaibi, Hicham Boudaoui, Houssem Aouar; Riyad Mahrez, Amine Gouiri and Mohamed Amoura.