Leandro Paredes headline: Tapia shares Messi and De Paul pre-match photo
leandro paredes had Claudio Tapia back in the frame before Argentina’s World Cup 2026 opener. Tapia shared a photo on June 16, 2026 with Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul ahead of the match against Algeria, and the image landed just before kickoff in Group J.
Tapia, Messi and De Paul
The post showed Tapia meeting with Messi and De Paul before Argentina’s match against Algeria, scheduled for Tuesday at 22:00. Tapia wrote, “Más juntos que nunca.” in one X post and followed with “TODOS JUNTOS ???Por mi bandera la vida yo doy ???” in another.
That reunion revived a pre-match habit around the national team: the delegation resumed an afternoon of mate before matches. Messi and De Paul met with Tapia to share time before the game, a familiar image from Lionel Scaloni’s successful cycle now surfacing again at the start of the tournament.
Argentina’s Group J start
The match against Algeria opened Group J in the World Cup being held in Canada, the United States and Mexico. For Argentina, the date carried extra weight because Tapia was in his third World Cup as AFA president after taking over in March 2017.
The numbers around his tenure are hard to miss. Argentina drew 1-1 with Iceland in Russia 2018 in its first World Cup match under Tapia, then lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in the most recent edition. Those results hung over this opening-night image, even if the post itself was all about unity before the first whistle.
Tapia’s World Cup record
Tapia’s public message was short, but the timing was not. He posted the photo on June 16, 2026, on the eve of Argentina’s debut, as the team looked to reset a pattern that has not gone its way in first matches during his presidency.
The photo also fit a broader storyline inside the squad. Messi had mostly avoided sharing this type of image in recent months despite his strong relationship with Tapia, while De Paul had remained close to him. That made the pre-match gathering the clearest sign that Argentina intended to lean on a familiar routine as the World Cup began.
For readers tracking the team rather than the ceremony, the takeaway is simple: Argentina walked into its Group J opener with Messi, De Paul and Tapia together, the mate ritual back in place, and a first-match record under this presidency that leaves little room for a slow start.
