Argentina vs Algeria: Messi's First Step on the Brink of History

KANSAS CITY, MONDAY - The Group J qualifying match of the 2026 World Cup between Argentina and Algeria will witness the initial steps of Lionel Messi in the historical arena. The exploits of the megastar alongside his championship-winning squad to carve out new records have been eagerly anticipated by millions of football fans.

If Messi, who will turn 39 years old in a week, appears in the match at Kansas City Stadium on Wednesday (16/6/2026) at 08:00 WIB, a record will be set. This record is as the first player to participate in six editions of the World Cup.

That achievement came a few hours earlier than that of another megastar and his eternal competitor, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese legend will also set the same record if he is fielded in the match against the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday (17/6/2026) at 00:00 WIB.

So far, there are no signs that Messi will miss tomorrow's match. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed on Monday (June 15, 2026) local time that Messi has recovered from a muscle injury and will be included in the team's lineup.

As a result of the injury, Messi was benched during the 2-0 victory in the friendly match against Honduras on June 6, 2026. However, "La Pulga" was brought on as a substitute in the warm-up match against Iceland last week, scoring a penalty in the 3-0 victory.

The captain is also chasing another record that he has the opportunity to break in this World Cup, namely the all-time top scorer. Messi only needs four more goals to surpass Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals as the highest goal scorer in World Cup history.

The match against Algeria has the potential to add to the goal tally that Messi needs. Looking at his goal record in the World Cup, which stands at 13 goals from a total of 26 matches, the likelihood of this statistic materializing is approximately 50 percent.

He is always present and has fundamental meaning for us, even more so now.

However, Messi's ultimate goal is undoubtedly to lead Argentina to back-to-back World Cup wins, or two consecutive editions. No other nation has achieved that feat in the modern era. The most recent achievements were achieved by Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

The threshold for creating history is what football fans are anticipating in this World Cup. "It's not just the Argentinians; we believe everyone wants to see him (Messi) on the field, wants to see him play," said Scaloni at a press conference ahead of the match on Monday.

Scaloni dismissed the notion that the presence of the Inter Miami player would burden the squad. According to him, the impact that Messi provides has never diminished, even while playing under varying physical conditions over the past few years. "He is always present and fundamentally significant for us, especially now," Scaloni stated.

Argentina occupies the top position in the FIFA rankings and is predicted by the Opta supercomputer to have a 10.4 percent chance of winning the World Cup, ranking fourth behind Spain (16.1 percent), France (13 percent), and England (11.2 percent). Meanwhile, Algeria is ranked 27th in the FIFA rankings, with Opta calculating only a 0.2 percent chance of winning the championship.

The "Tango" team is likely to feature most of its players in the final match of the 2022 World Cup. This is with the exception of Angel di Maria, who has retired, and defender Nicolas Tagliafico, whose condition is uncertain as he has not yet recovered from a calf injury.

In addition to Messi, Argentina's attacking line includes Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez, who have recovered from injuries. There is also Enzo Fernandez, the anchor of the midfield. The last line of defense, Emiliano Martinez, has also healed from his finger injury.

Despite excelling in many aspects on paper, Argentina cannot be reckless. Scaloni is aware of this, reflecting on their experience of being defeated by Saudi Arabia in their opening match of the 2022 World Cup.

"They (Algeria) are a great team with fast players up front. This is a side that must be watched and respected. They will be challenging," said Scaloni.

He even assessed that Algeria has a playing style similar to Morocco, which was able to dominate the match against Brazil last Saturday. Scaloni also emphasized the importance of the players' composure in facing tomorrow's match.

Calmness is necessary to dismantle Algeria's tight defense, which is expected to play defensively while waiting for the momentum to launch counterattacks. Argentina will intensify attacks from the center as well as both flanks while ensuring to close gaps against the swift assaults of the "Desert Foxes" squad.

According to records from Transfermarkt, the team coached by Vladimir Petkovic has an advantage with a relatively younger average player age compared to Argentina, with an average of 26.9 years versus 29.2 years. This means that this could potentially benefit Algeria when making breakthroughs during transitions, which require stamina and speed.

Several of their players possess such abilities, including wing backs Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rafik Belghali, as well as attacking midfielders Ibrahim "Mazadona" Maza, Anis Hadj Moussa, and Mohamed Amoura.

Veteran Riyad Mahrez can also be a quick breakthrough option, although he may not be able to play the full match. Meanwhile, up front, lone striker Amine Gouiri is ready to capitalize on any opportunities. In the five warm-up matches leading up to the World Cup, the Marseille player recorded 4 goals and 1 assist.