Career goals (all competitions)
900+
MLS regular-season goal contributions
100
Goals in 2026 MLS season (pre-WC break)
10
World Cups played
6
Messi fit, No. 1 ranked, and defending: Argentina open their 2026 World Cup campaign tonight
Argentina kick off their 2026 World Cup title defense tonight against Algeria in Kansas City. Messi is fit after weeks of hamstring management, the squad carries 17 Qatar veterans, and FIFA just ranked them world No. 1 again. Here's what you need to know.
Lionel Messi turns 39 during this tournament. His hamstring has been managed across five weeks of careful treatment. Tonight at 9 p.m. ET, he steps onto the Arrowhead Stadium pitch in Kansas City to begin Argentina's defense of the World Cup title — the campaign that would make them the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back.1
Opponents: Algeria, ranked 28th in the world. Kick-off: 9 p.m. ET (01:00 GMT, June 17). Not an opening fixture to take lightly.
The Messi hamstring saga — and why Argentina exhaled
The concern started on May 24 when Messi left Inter Miami's 6–4 win over Philadelphia Union in the 73rd minute, reaching for his left hamstring before he could even be formally substituted. The club confirmed the following day: "an overload associated with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring."2
He sat out Argentina's first pre-tournament friendly against Honduras on June 6 at Texas A&M's Kyle Field — watching a 2–0 win from the bench in front of 100,000 fans who still showed up largely to see him.
The good news came on June 9 in Auburn, Alabama. Messi came on as a second-half substitute at Jordan-Hare Stadium against Iceland, scored a penalty, and Argentina cruised to a 3–0 win. He looked sharp. Argentina then confirmed he would be fit for Group J.2
His minutes will be managed — nobody expects Scaloni to run him into the ground in June when games in late July matter more. But he is expected to start tonight.
The squad Argentina built around him
Before he joins the national team, Messi's 2026 MLS season with Inter Miami was already notable — he reached milestones that put his longevity in sharp relief:2
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17 of the 26 players who won the World Cup in Qatar are back.1 That continuity is Argentina's most underrated asset — they don't have to learn each other.
The attack is formidable even without a fully fit Messi. Lautaro Martínez finished the Serie A season as its top scorer with 17 goals for Inter Milan. Julián Álvarez (Atlético Madrid) has been dynamic in bursts. Young attacker Nico Paz had a breakout season in Serie A with Como. Giuliano Simeone and Nicolás González add depth.
The midfield is Premier League and La Liga quality throughout. Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool) provides creativity; Enzo Fernández (Chelsea) brings box-to-box aggression; Rodrigo De Paul — now at Inter Miami alongside Messi — provides relentless energy. Leandro Paredes and Giovani Lo Celso are reliable depth pieces.
The defence is experienced if not flashy. Nicolás Otamendi and Cristian Romero are hard-tackling, durable centre-backs who have held the backline together across two Copa Américas and a World Cup. Full-back options are a noted weak point — Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel and Nicolás Tagliafico are serviceable but not elite at international level.
Emiliano Martínez in goal remains a difference-maker. His penalty shootout record is exceptional — and in a tournament where knockout games routinely reach spot-kicks, that matters enormously.
| Position | Key player | Club | 2025–26 form |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Emiliano Martínez | Aston Villa | Consistent; penalty specialist |
| CB | Cristian Romero | Tottenham | Strong defensive season |
| CM | Alexis Mac Allister | Liverpool | One of Liverpool's best this year |
| CM | Enzo Fernández | Chelsea | Dynamic, consistent |
| FW | Lautaro Martínez | Inter Milan | 17 Serie A goals, top scorer |
| FW | Julián Álvarez | Atlético Madrid | Excellent in bursts |
| CAP | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | Managed carefully; still decisive |
Two high-profile absences drew attention: Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho did not make the squad, and 18-year-old Real Madrid talent Franco Mastantuono was left out despite impressive performances. Scaloni's call. The squad is experienced, disciplined, and deep — but the ceiling for youth injection is now for 2030.1
Group J: the path through the first phase
Argentina's draw looks manageable on paper, but they know better than to say so out loud after losing to Saudi Arabia in the 2022 group stage.
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 16 | Argentina vs Algeria | Kansas City, Missouri | 9:00 p.m. |
| June 22 | Argentina vs Austria | Arlington, Texas | 1:00 p.m. |
| June 27 | Jordan vs Argentina | Arlington, Texas | 10:00 p.m. |
Algeria (FIFA rank 28) are the trickiest opener. They have pace and physicality up front, and Riyad Mahrez — now in his mid-30s but still capable of unlocking defences on the right day — leads their attack. A banana-skin fixture if Argentina come out flat.
Austria (rank 24) are organized, disciplined, and dangerous on set-pieces. They are not a team Argentina can simply outclass through possession alone.
Jordan (rank ~100, their first-ever World Cup) are underdogs, and Scaloni may rest several starters in the final group game if qualification is already confirmed.
FIFA ranking: Argentina back on top
On June 11 — hours before the tournament kicked off — FIFA published its updated Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking. Argentina reclaimed No. 1, jumping two places after wins over Honduras and Iceland. Spain held second, France dropped to third.3
They're the highest-ranked team in the tournament. That's a signal, not a guarantee.
Scaloni and the system that won it all
Lionel Scaloni was appointed interim manager in 2018. Eight years later, he has won two Copa Américas and a World Cup, and he is now bidding to join an exclusive list that includes Italy's Vittorio Pozzo — the only manager to win back-to-back World Cups, doing so in 1934 and 1938.1
What makes Scaloni difficult to beat is not any single tactical innovation. It is adaptability — he builds a compact, disciplined defensive structure and then gives his forwards the freedom to solve problems. He also manages personalities and egos with apparent ease, something that proved beyond several of his predecessors.
Argentina topped their South American qualifying group with a 4–1 destruction of Brazil among the highlights. They arrive at the tournament without a qualification-phase crisis of any kind.
Al Jazeera's prediction for Argentina's run: semifinals. The quality is there to go further. Spain and France may just be too good.
Tonight: Argentina vs Algeria, Kansas City
Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium. 9 p.m. ET. Messi plays.
This is the opener Messi fans and Argentina fans have circled since the bracket was drawn. Expectations are sky-high. The squad's experience means they should control possession and carve out chances. Algeria will press hard and hit on the counter — expect a tight, tense first 30 minutes before Argentina's quality begins to tell.
Watch for Lautaro Martínez as the focal point of the attack. Watch for Mac Allister and De Paul controlling the midfield tempo. And watch Messi's workload — Scaloni will protect him carefully.
The journey toward back-to-back begins tonight.
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