Lionel Messi Begins Final World Cup Run Against Algeria in Kansas City

lionel messi is set to begin what is described as his final World Cup when Argentina opens against Algeria on Tuesday night in Kansas City. The defending champion is chasing a second straight title, something only two other nations have done.

Messi’s 2006 debut

His World Cup story started in 2006, when he was 18 years and 358 days old and came on as a substitute in Argentina’s 6-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro on June 16. Three minutes after entering, he set up Hernán Crespo, and ten minutes later Carlos Tevez assisted him for his first World Cup goal.

Diego Maradona was in the stands in Germany that day, and a banner in the Argentine crowd read, “This Is My Dream.” That night is now the start point for a run that stretches across 20 years and into North America, where Messi’s World Cup journey is set to end.

Argentina in Kansas City

Argentina arrives in Kansas City as the defending champion and with a chance to make history again. The team is trying to do what only two other nations have managed before by winning back-to-back World Cup titles, with Messi again at the center of it.

He did not make a big announcement about returning for a record sixth tournament, but the tournament itself has turned into the closing chapter of his World Cup career. Argentina’s opening match against Algeria is the first step in that run, and it comes in the same frame as his 2023 interview after the historic World Cup victory in Qatar.