Lisandro Martínez leads Argentina into 2026 opener against Algeria
lisandro martínez did not take the field in Kansas City, but Argentina’s 2026 World Cup opener still arrived with a clear edge: the defending champion started against Algeria with Lionel Messi, Emiliano Martínez, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez in the lineup. Lionel Scaloni’s pre-match message was simple enough. Argentina should not assume the road would be easy.
Kansas City opener
Argentina opened against Algeria on Tuesday in Kansas City, the first match of its 2026 World Cup campaign. Scaloni said his team came in as champion but would face a route that would not run straight, and he singled out Algeria as a rival similar to Morocco after Morocco held Brazil to a draw three days earlier.
Luca Zidane started in goal for Algeria, adding another layer to a match already loaded with name recognition. He is the son of Zinedine Zidane and chose Algeria over France because of his family roots through his grandparents.
Argentina's starting core
Messi, Martínez, De Paul, Fernández, Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez gave Argentina a familiar spine for its tournament debut. That mattered because the lineup showed Scaloni trusting the same core to start a title defense rather than easing into the competition with a rotated group.
The match also sat inside a broader World Cup day that moved quickly around the tournament. Norway beat Iraq with a last-minute goal, while Erling Haaland scored twice and Leo Østigård added another. The final Norwegian goal was changed in the FIFA record from Kristian Thorstvedt to an own goal by Iraq's Aymen Hussein, who had earlier scored Iraq's only goal.
Norway and Iraq
That Norway result brought its own small twist. The score ended 2-1, but the record adjustment left Haaland with two goals and shifted the closing moment from a credited scorer to an own goal by Hussein.
For Argentina, the immediate pressure was different: the champion had to show its opener was built on more than reputation. Colombia's fans were gathering in the center of Mexico City ahead of Colombia's match against Uzbekistan at Estadio Azteca on Wednesday, a reminder that the tournament was moving fast around Argentina while Scaloni asked for caution before the first kickoff.
