Argentina vs Algeria live updates: World Cup 2026 latest news as Lionel Messi prepares for first game – The New York Times

The Athletic Live Team

June 16, 2026 at 4:42 PM EDT

Argentina begin their World Cup title defence today as they face Algeria in Kansas City.

Lionel Scaloni’s side are looking to become the first back-to-back winners in more than 60 years, while at 38, Lionel Messi is set to appear at the tournament for the sixth time.

Meanwhile, Algeria are hoping to reach the knockouts for only the second time — in a group that also includes Austria and Jordan.

• Kick-off: 9pm ET, 6pm PT
• How to watch: FOX, Fubo (try for free)
• Share your thoughts in the chat or email live@theathletic.com.

A talented winger who is regarded as one of the best Algeria players of all time — and by extension one of the best from the continent of Africa — Riyad Mahrez is a key leader for his country.

With a vast personal trophy cabinet from spells at Leicester City, Manchester City and current club Al Ahli, Mahrez knows how to win.

The 35-year-old might be past the peak of his powers but his legacy with Algeria, having won the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with them, is undoubted.

Vladimir Petkovic has a long managerial career dating back to 1997 at clubs including Young Boys, Lazio and Bordeaux, as well as the Switzerland national team.

Since joining Algeria in 2024, he has helped them qualify for a first World Cup since 2014 and reached the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Guided from the dugout by former Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic, former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez is still Algeria’s leader on the pitch.

But it probably won’t be long before he passes that baton to 25-year-old Mohamed Amoura or another young forward.

You would be surprised if they don’t make it out of their group — although Austria and Jordan will be no joke.

Much more than that might be a stretch.

Algeria also progressed seamlessly through World Cup qualifying, winning eight of their 10 matches — their loss came at home to Guinea and their draw was in Guinea!

Algeria scored 24 goals and conceded eight but rarely looked spectacular. More concerning was an underwhelming quarter-final exit to Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year; a tournament they won in 2019.

Since then however, Algeria have responded well, winning all four of their friendly matches including an impressive 1-0 victory over the Netherlands.

They also held Uruguay to a goalless draw.

Argentina breezed through South American qualifying, winning 12 of their 18 games, drawing twice and losing four.

They had by far the most clinical attack, scoring 31 goals, and had the joint second-best defensive record, conceding just 10 goals — tied with Paraguay and Ecuador in conceded just five.

They have continued this form in the friendlies leading up to the tournament, winning all seven and scoring 21 goals while keeping six clean sheets.

Lionel Messi will win his 200th cap for Argentina if he features today against Algeria — a feat only managed by two other players:

• Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo
• Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa

Side note: Luka Modric, currently on 198 caps, will also likely pass the milestone at this tournament.

This will also be Messi’s 27th appearance at a World Cup in his sixth separate tournament. He already holds the record in this category, one clear of Germany’s Lother Matthaus on 25.

Ronaldo, who currently sits on 22 World Cup appearances, is the only one who can realistically close the gap on Messi — but that all depends on how far Portugal go in this tournament.

Lionel Messi will celebrate his birthday at this tournament — next week, in fact.

The forward turns 39 on June 24 and while this will likely be his final World Cup, he is still leading from the front and producing dazzling attacking performances for club and country.

When thinking about the most high-profile players to watch at this World Cup, one name in particular stands out: Lionel Messi.

He is probably the best player of all time, inspiring Argentina to the trophy last time out in Qatar.

The brilliant veteran, 38, has eight Ballon d’Or awards and has also been named the world’s best player by FIFA eight times across a glittering career.

With the pressure off after finally winning a World Cup with Argentina, the one achievement which had evaded him for so long, can he add another this time around?

While all the attention was on Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martinez, the real hero of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win was Gonzalo Montiel.

The River Plate right-back was the player who scored the winning penalty in the shootout against France, in the final in Qatar — and so wrote himself into World Cup history.

Scenes of the celebrations in his home city of Buenos Aires reflected the joy he delivered for a nation in a high-pressure scenario from the penalty spot.

Lionel Scaloni is anything but rigid as a tactician.

He has experimented with several different systems, but he has shown a preference for traditional formations that emphasise a strong back four and a dominant central midfield.

Tapping into the traits of his European-based midfielders such as Premier League players Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez, has given Argentina a faster and more dynamic attacking identity.

Argentina under Scaloni have shown two different personalities: one where play goes through Messi, and the other when he is absent, that is much more fluid and direct.

Both have led to important wins.

The hero who brought the World Cup back to Argentina with their 2022 win, Lionel Scaloni, is back againto try to manage his country to successive titles.

A former international as a player, Scaloni took charge of Argentina in 2018 after a spell working with the Under-20 team.

Capable of guiding some of the world’s best and brightest players to form a cohesive unit, he has plenty of credit in the back after their achievements four years ago.

​​Not only are Argentina the reigning champions from Qatar 2022, but they also won back-to-back Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024.

For recent pedigree, can we really look much further?

With the same manager in Lionel Scaloni, and the same GOAT in Lionel Messi, their status as favourites is deserved — albeit Messi really is getting on a bit.

He will turn 39 during this tournament.

Austria and Jordan are the other two teams in Group J, and face each other in Santa Clara, California later today.

That one kicks off at 9pm local time, which is 12am ET Sunday and 5am in the UK.

Algeria have only faced Argentina once before, in a friendly in June 2007.

Argentina won the thrilling encounter 4-3, with a 20-year-old Lionel Messi finding the net twice at the Camp Nou in Barcelona.

Carlos Tevez and Esteban Cambiasso scored Argentina’s other two goals, with Anther Yahia and a brace from Nadir Belhadj closing the gap for Algeria.

Amid the high-tech excess and luxury of modern NFL stadiums, nestled in Middle America and potentially on its last legs, Arrowhead Stadium stands tall and proud as an old-school sporting gem in Kansas City, Missouri.

It will never host a Super Bowl. It has no translucent roof, no 11,000-square-foot video board, swimming pool, or rooftop farm.

But for decades, and especially recently, it has been a fortress for the Kansas City Chiefs. Its best quality is its noise. During a Monday night game against the New England Patriots in September 2014, it housed the loudest outdoor sports crowd (142.2 decibels) in recorded history. It has become a stadium that makes opponents cower in fear.

In other words, among the 11 venues for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Arrowhead is the closest you will come to a European or South American soccer cathedral.

Just don’t ask about the public transport.

This is one to confuse travelling fans from around the world: the Kansas City metro area straddles the Kansas-Missouri state line, but the main hub is Kansas City, Missouri.

And do not confuse that with Kansas City, Kansas. Got it? Me neither.

Either way, we know where matches will be played and there is a slice of history as Arrowhead Stadium, usually home to NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, is the oldest stadium at this World Cup — and it is named Kansas City Stadium for FIFA purposes during this tournament, obviously.

It has a capacity of a little more than 76,000 and has not hosted a competitive football match since 2001, so round-ball football or soccer makes a welcome return.

Want an update of everything going on at the 2026 World Cup dropped into your boxing every morning?

Sign up here to The Athletic’s World Cup Briefing so that you don’t miss a thing.

We’re here to give you all the insights, context and analysis you could ever wish for from every World Cup match — and we want you to share your thoughts too.

• Which player is your tip to shine at the tournament?
• Have you got an issue with a team you think is horribly overrated?
• And who is going to shine in today’s game?

It’s super easy to share your views. You can head to the Discuss tab at the top of this feed, or you can send us an email — the address is: live@theathletic.com

We can’t wait to hear what you’ve got for us all.

There is no better time to be a subscriber to The Athletic for all the sporting insight, analysis and live coverage you need during the World Cup and beyond.

As well as the ongoing tournament in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, you can get your soccer fix with us for the rest of the year with our Champions League and Premier League coverage, plus Europe’s top leagues.

Meanwhile, the Formula 1 season is in full swing plus we have golf, tennis and more on the cards.

Subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.