Lionel Scaloni is weighing whether Julián Álvarez will start for world cup argentina against Algeria on 17 June, and the call hangs on how much risk he wants to take with a 26-year-old forward coming back from an ankle injury. Argentina open their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign as reigning champions, but the first selection decision already has real consequences for how the front line is set.
Scaloni’s Álvarez decision
Álvarez has been working back from the ankle sprain he sustained in late April during the first leg of Atlético Madrid’s Champions League semi-final against Arsenal. He used anti-inflammatory injections for the second leg on 5 May, then missed the rest of the La Liga season.
He arrived at Argentina’s training camp at Sporting Kansas City’s facilities in early June and has been on a specialized individual recovery program. Argentina’s team doctors also administered platelet-rich plasma injections, and the Argentine Football Association recently gave him the medical green light to resume full training.
Lautaro Martínez’s role
Scaloni is considering Lautaro Martínez as a possible starter if he keeps Álvarez back against Algeria. Martínez has been working with the projected starting XI during tactical sessions while Álvarez has stayed on the separate recovery plan.
That split is the clearest sign of the coaching staff’s current lean. The conservative option would be to protect Álvarez for later stages of the 48-team tournament rather than push him straight into Group J on 17 June.
Argentina in Sporting Kansas City
The timing puts Argentina in a narrow window. They have their opener against Algeria in Group J, and the decision on Álvarez comes after a buildup that included treatment, a controlled training return, and the staff managing him as a player recovering from a lingering ankle problem.
For Argentina, the choice is not about whether Álvarez belongs in the tournament. It is about whether he is ready to start immediately, or whether Martínez takes the first run in a group-stage match the champions are expected to handle with caution.
