Argentina begins its defense of the World Cup.

On the morning of June 17th, Argentina will begin their campaign to defend the World Cup trophy with a match against Algeria at the Arrowhead Stadium, in Group J of the 2026 World Cup.

Lionel Messi and his teammates will face Algeria on the morning of June 17th.

Argentina enters the 2026 World Cup as a contender for the title. The lesson learned from their unexpected opening match defeat against Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup means Lionel Scaloni's team must maintain maximum focus when they face Algeria.

The spotlight continues to be on Lionel Messi. At 38 years old, the superstar continues to maintain relatively impressive form for Inter Miami. Despite only recently returning from a hamstring injury, he remains the heart and soul of the team's play. "Albiceleste" .

However, Argentina now relies more than just on Messi. Scaloni's squad boasts a balance of stars in their prime, such as Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, and midfielder Enzo Fernandez. In addition, the emergence of young talents like Nico Paz and Giuliano Simeone brings a fresh impetus to the attack.

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On the opposite side, Algeria is not an easy opponent to overcome. The North African team boasts the second-strongest attack in the region with 24 goals in the qualifiers. Players like Amine Gouiri, the young talent Ibrahim Maza, and captain Riyad Mahrez are capable of causing upsets against any defense.

However, the challenge for Algeria is enormous, as Argentina's defense is in extremely stable form, having conceded only one goal in their last seven matches.

The match in Kansas City was a test of Scaloni's ability to manage Messi in a long tournament. Argentina was predicted to be completely dominant in terms of quality, but the danger from Algeria's direct style of play could not be underestimated.

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Source: https://znews.vn/argentina-bat-dau-bao-ve-cup-vang-post1660329.html