🇦🇷 Argentina vs 🇩🇿 Algeria

Argentina are the defending champions. Messi is back for his sixth World Cup — a record no man has ever reached. He's 38. He has a dodgy hamstring. And he still might be the best player at the tournament. Just let that sink in for a moment.

17 of the players who won it in Qatar are still in the squad. This is not a team in transition. This is a team that won the thing and just turned up again to win it again. Absolutely nobody else at the tournament wanted this draw.

There is a genuine injury concern about Messi before a ball has been kicked. He's been nursing a hamstring problem and Argentina's medical team is being very careful about what they say publicly. This is the kind of information that sounds very knowledgeable if you drop it casually.

Their goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez — who saved two penalties in the Qatar final — turned up to this tournament with a broken finger after Aston Villa won the Europa League. He's expected to play anyway, because of course he is.

Argentina face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in the group — on paper the kindest draw of any top-five contender. Which means either they sail through, or they somehow make it dramatic anyway. With Argentina, dramatic is never fully off the table.

Algeria are one of Africa's most historically successful nations — 2019 Africa Cup of Nations champions, with a long tradition of producing players who go on to stellar European careers. Not a team that needs an introduction.

Riyad Mahrez retired from international football in 2023, but several players from that golden generation remain, giving Algeria experience alongside younger talent coming through. The squad has more depth than just one name.

They're in Group J with Argentina, Austria and Jordan. The realistic target is qualifying in second place, which would represent a solid achievement given Argentina's presence. Beating Austria would be a statement result.

Algeria's squad has an interesting dual identity — many players were born in France and chose Algeria over the French system. This creates a roster with European club experience and international ambition that doesn't always get the attention it deserves.

Manager Djamel Belmadi built the 2019 AFCON-winning team and remains in charge. Consistency in management has given Algeria a stability that's helped them qualify for consecutive tournaments — not something every African nation manages.