Argentina are in Group J at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19 across 16 stadiums in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Below you'll find every Argentina group stage match with kickoff times automatically converted to your local timezone. Select your timezone above to get the exact time each Argentina game kicks off wherever you're watching from. No app, no signup โ just Argentina's full World Cup schedule in your time.
The defending champions arrive in North America with one mission: do what no team has done since Brazil in 1962 โ win it back to back. Argentina are ranked third in the world, have won the last two Copa Amรฉricas on top of their Qatar 2022 triumph, and coach Lionel Scaloni has kept 17 players from the title-winning squad. On paper, they are one of the two or three most dangerous teams in this tournament. The only question is whether they can do it again.
At 38 years old, Lionel Messi is heading to his sixth World Cup โ a record he shares, fittingly, with his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Six World Cups. Let that sink in. His place in the squad was briefly in doubt after he left an Inter Miami game early with a hamstring issue, but Scaloni included him regardless. This is almost certainly his last World Cup, and you get the sense the entire Argentina squad knows it. Messi already holds the record for most World Cup appearances (26) and most goals scored (13) โ records that may never be broken. Whether he plays 90 minutes or 30, his presence alone changes how opponents approach the game.
History says it's incredibly hard. No team has successfully defended the World Cup in over 60 years. But this Argentina side is not a one-tournament wonder โ they have been the most consistently excellent international team on the planet for the past four years. The core is proven, the manager is elite, and the motivation with Messi's final chapter playing out in real time is unlike anything most squads experience. I think they can. I'm not saying they will โ but I wouldn't bet against them.
Argentina getting out of the group is a formality. Group J โ Argentina, Algeria, Austria, and Jordan โ is one of the more favorable draws a top seed could have asked for. Jordan are making their first ever World Cup appearance and are the clear weakest side. The interesting battle is between Algeria and Austria for second place. Honestly it's a toss-up โ whoever wins that head-to-head match between them goes through.
My prediction: Argentina top the group comfortably. Algeria and Austria fight it out for second โ could go either way.
