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Group J CONMEBOL FIFA #1

Argentina at the 2026 World Cup

By Rick Baron · Updated 2026-06-09

Argentina are in Group J with Algeria, Austria, Jordan. Head coach: Lionel Scaloni. Captain: Lionel Messi. Below: full squad spotlight, fixture-by-fixture US broadcast info, and what to expect.

Head coach
Lionel Scaloni
Captain
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Best ever
Champions (3x — 1978, 1986, 2022)
FIFA ranking
#1

The coach

Architect of the 2022 World Cup win and 2024 Copa América title. 47 years old. Perfectly balances Messi's role with a young, athletic core.

Key players

Lionel Messi
FW · Inter Miami
captain + GOAT's farewell
Lautaro Martínez
FW · Inter Milan
lead striker
Julián Álvarez
FW · Atlético Madrid
secondary striker
Enzo Fernández
MF · Chelsea
midfield orchestrator
Alexis Mac Allister
MF · Liverpool
box-to-box
Cristian Romero
DF · Tottenham
defensive leader

Tournament storyline

Defending champions. Messi's farewell tournament at 38. Scaloni's system is the best in football. Group J is generous. The narrative writes itself — but back-to-back is historically rare.

Ceiling: Back-to-back champions — only Italy (1934/38) and Brazil (1958/62) have done it

Group J fixtures & how to watch

All times Eastern. FOX matches are free over the air with a $30 antenna. FS1 matches require cable or a streaming trial (Fubo, YouTube TV, Sling Blue, DirecTV Stream). Telemundo carries every match in Spanish — also free over the air.

Tue, Jun 16
21:00 ET
Argentina vs Algeria
Group J · Kansas City · Arrowhead Stadium
FOX FREE OTA
Mon, Jun 22
13:00 ET
Argentina vs Austria
Group J · Dallas · AT&T Stadium
FOX FREE OTA
Sat, Jun 27
22:00 ET
Argentina vs Jordan
Group J · Dallas · AT&T Stadium
FOX FREE OTA

Group J rivals

Last verified 2026-06-09. Squad announcements, coach changes, and injury statuses move fast — we refresh team pages daily during the tournament.