Argentina vs. Algeria confirmed lineups, starting 11 for Lionel Messi’s opening World Cup 2026 Group I game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Argentina vs. Algeria odds, prediction
Defending champions Argentina begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup slate with a Group J matchup against Algeria in Kansas City on Tuesday.
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Led by the legendary Lionel Messi in what is certainly his final World Cup, the Albiceleste are gunning to be the first nation to repeat as World Cup champions in over 60 years. The last team to accomplish such a feat was Brazil in 1962, having won their first title four years prior.
The 38-year-old Messi is chasing the all-time World Cup goal-scoring record in the process, as he sits on 13 career goals at the FIFA tournament, five behind leader Miroslav Klose. Kylian Mbappe, who is 11 years younger than Messi, is also on 14 and looking to reach such a mark.
Algeria were ranked 28th in the world by FIFA coming into the 2026 tournament, having enjoyed a strong warm-up slate where they surprised the Netherlands in a 1-0 victory before blanking Bolivia by a 4-0 score.
The Sporting News brings you a look at the projected starting lineups for both teams, as well as an overview of their World Cup squads, plus odds, predictions, and how to watch the game.
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4-4-2, right to left: 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 4. Montiel, 13. Romero, 6. Martinez, 25. Medina — 7. De Paul, 20. Mac Allister, 24. E. Fernandez, 16. Almada — 10. Messi, 22. L. Martinez
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Suspended: None
Lionel Messi will be supported by his usual cast of buddies, as this Argentina roster is very similar to the one that triumphed four years ago in Qatar.
The biggest absence is that of Marcos Acuna, as the left-back was felled by a muscle injury while playing for his club River Plate. Leonardo Balerdi was also forced to withdraw from the World Cup roster in the lead-up to the tournament after sustaining a calf problem in training.
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Franco Mastantuono was left off the roster after a tough season at Real Madrid, as was Alejandro Garnacho, who was involved in 2022 but did not make the squad this time around after Chelsea struggled in the Premier League this past campaign.
LIVE:Follow Argentina vs. Algeria updates from 2026 World Cup
4-2-3-1, right to left: 23. Zidane (GK) — 17. Belghali, 2. Mandi, 21. Bensebaini, 15. Ait Nouri — 14. Boudaoui, 19. Bentaleb — 11. Hadj Moussa, 22. Maza, 10. Chaibi — 9. Gouiri
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Injured: Ghezala (shoulder)
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Suspended: None
Algeria were forced to replace defender Ayoub Ghezala on their World Cup roster after he sustained a shoulder injury in mid-May that required surgery. They are also without AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer who struggled with muscle injuries this past season on loan at Dinamo Zagreb and was not selected.
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Head coach Vladimir Petkovic actually made a number of big calls to leave veterans off the roster this summer. Other recognizable names not included were 37-year-old Islam Slimani, 34-year-old Baghdad Bounedjah, and 36-year-old Yacine Brahimi, all of whom sport 70 or more international caps but have not been called in since 2025.
They do have one big name in the squad in Riyad Mahrez, who will captain the side. There’s a famous last name as well, as goalkeeper Luca Zidane is the son of France legend Zinedine Zidane.
Here are the names on the Argentina and Algeria World Cup rosters. All caps and stats are correct as of the date of their announcement in May 2026.
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MORE:Every World Cup squad for all 48 participants
MORE:A complete breakdown of Argentina’s 2026 World Cup squad
Head coach: Lionel Scaloni
|
Pos |
No. |
Name |
Club |
Age |
Caps |
|
GK |
23 |
Aston Villa (Premier League, England) |
33 |
59 |
|
|
GK |
1 |
Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) |
32 |
3 |
|
|
GK |
12 |
Geronimo Rulli |
Marseille (Ligue 1, France) |
34 |
7 |
|
DEF |
6 |
Manchester United (Premier League, England) |
28 |
26 |
|
|
DEF |
25 |
Lens (Ligue 1, France) |
27 |
7 |
|
|
DEF |
26 |
Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) |
28 |
58 |
|
|
DEF |
4 |
Gonzalo Montiel |
River Plate (Primera Liga, Argentina) |
29 |
38 |
|
DEF |
19 |
Nicolas Otamendi |
Benfica (Primeira Liga, Portugal) |
38 |
130 |
|
DEF |
13 |
Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League, England) |
28 |
49 |
|
|
DEF |
2 |
Tottenham (Premier League, England) |
29 |
3 |
|
|
DEF |
3 |
Nicolas Tagliafico |
Lyon (Ligue 1, France) |
33 |
75 |
|
MID |
8 |
Valentin Barco |
Strasbourg (Ligue 1, France) |
21 |
2 |
|
MID |
7 |
Rodrigo De Paul |
Inter Miami (MLS, United States) |
32 |
85 |
|
MID |
24 |
Chelsea (Premier League, England) |
25 |
40 |
|
|
MID |
11 |
Real Betis (La Liga, Spain) |
30 |
65 |
|
|
MID |
20 |
Alexis Mac Allister |
Liverpool (Premier League, England) |
27 |
44 |
|
MID |
14 |
Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, Germany) |
27 |
38 |
|
|
MID |
5 |
Boca Juniors (Primera Liga, Argentina) |
31 |
77 |
|
|
MID |
18 |
21 |
8 |
||
|
FWD |
16 |
Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) |
25 |
14 |
|
|
FWD |
9 |
Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) |
26 |
51 |
|
|
FWD |
15 |
Nicolas Gonzalez |
Juventus (Serie A, Italy) |
28 |
50 |
|
FWD |
21 |
Jose Lopez |
Palmeiras (Brasileirao, Brazil) |
25 |
3 |
|
FWD |
22 |
Inter Milan (Serie A, Italy) |
28 |
75 |
|
|
FWD |
10 |
Lionel Messi |
Inter Miami (MLS, United States) |
38 |
198 |
|
FWD |
17 |
Atletico Madrid (La Liga, Spain) |
23 |
11 |
Head coach: Vladimir Petkovic
|
Pos |
No. |
Name |
Club |
Age |
Caps |
|
GK |
16 |
USM Alger (Ligue 1, Algeria) |
31 |
2 |
|
|
GK |
1 |
Melvin Mastil |
Stade Nyonnais (Challenge League, Switzerland) |
26 |
1 |
|
GK |
23 |
Luca Zidane |
Granada (La Liga, Spain) |
28 |
6 |
|
DEF |
3 |
Achref Abada |
USM Alger (Ligue 1, Algeria) |
26 |
6 |
|
DEF |
15 |
Rayan Ait-Nouri |
Man City (Premier League, England) |
24 |
27 |
|
DEF |
5 |
Zineddine Belaid |
JS Kabylie (Ligue 1, Algeria) |
27 |
9 |
|
DEF |
17 |
Rafik Belghali |
Hellas Veronia (Serie A, Italy) |
23 |
11 |
|
DEF |
21 |
Ramy Bensebaini |
Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga, Germany) |
31 |
81 |
|
DEF |
26 |
Paris FC (Ligue 1, France) |
27 |
4 |
|
|
DEF |
13 |
BSC Young Boys (Super League, Switzerland) |
23 |
16 |
|
|
DEF |
2 |
Aissa Mandi |
Lille (Ligue 1, France) |
34 |
116 |
|
DEF |
4 |
Mohammed Amine Tougai |
Esperance de Tunis (Ligue 1, Tunisia) |
26 |
28 |
|
MID |
8 |
Al Ittihad (Pro League, Saudi Arabia) |
27 |
19 |
|
|
MID |
19 |
Nabil Bentaleb |
Lille (Ligue 1, France) |
31 |
58 |
|
MID |
14 |
Nice (Ligue 1, France) |
26 |
32 |
|
|
MID |
10 |
Fares Chaibi |
Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga, Germany) |
23 |
28 |
|
MID |
22 |
Ibrahim Maza |
Bayern Leverkusen (Bundesliga, Germany) |
20 |
15 |
|
MID |
24 |
Yacine Titraoui |
Charleroi (Pro League, Belgium) |
22 |
5 |
|
MID |
6 |
FC Twente (Eredivisie, Netherlands) |
28 |
51 |
|
|
FWD |
18 |
VfL Wolfsburg (Bundesliga, Germany) |
26 |
44 |
|
|
FWD |
12 |
Nadhir Benbouali |
Gyor (NB 1, Hungary) |
26 |
2 |
|
FWD |
20 |
Al Duhail (Stars League, Qatar) |
23 |
10 |
|
|
FWD |
25 |
Fares Ghedjemis |
Frosinone (Serie A, Italy) |
23 |
1 |
|
FWD |
9 |
Marseille (Ligue 1, France) |
26 |
21 |
|
|
FWD |
7 |
Riyad Mahrez |
Al Ahli (Pro League, Saudi Arabia) |
35 |
113 |
|
FWD |
11 |
Anis Moussa |
Feyenoord (Eredivisie, Netherlands) |
24 |
13 |
|
DraftKings |
|
|
Argentina win |
-245 |
|
Draw |
+360 |
|
Algeria win |
+800 |
|
Both teams |
Y: +130 |
|
Over / Under |
O: -105 |
|
Argentina |
+115 |
|
Algeria |
-150 |
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Prediction: Argentina 2-0 Algeria
Argentina do not pummel opponents, as it is not in their DNA. Instead, they are the best in the world at slowly strangling the life out of the opposition, and Algeria are the next team on their list.
While Algeria are a quality side that enjoyed a positive pre-tournament showing, they will find life exceedingly difficult against Argentina, who are methodical and ruthless in their approach. Messi is the man pulling the strings, of course,
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TV channel: FOX
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Live stream: fubo,Fox One, Fox Sports app/website
This match will be broadcast nationally on Fox in the United States with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.
The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, with new customers able to sign up a for a FREE trial.
Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
