World champions Argentina start campaign with shock loss, face Algeria next

Defending champions Argentina face Algeria in their opening match of the World Cup Group J, seeking to rebound from a stunning upset. The match is scheduled for Wednesday morning, Eesti time.

Four years ago, Argentina secured their third World Cup title by defeating France in a penalty shootout. However, their current campaign began with an unexpected 1-2 defeat against Saudi Arabia, despite Lionel Messi scoring an early penalty. This loss has placed significant pressure on Argentina for their subsequent group stage matches.

Argentina managed to recover from their opening loss in the 2022 tournament by defeating Mexico and Poland. They then progressed through the knockout stages, beating Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia, and France to claim the championship. This marks Argentina's 14th consecutive World Cup appearance, with their only group stage failure occurring in 2002.

Algeria is participating in their fifth World Cup, with their best performance being a run to the Round of 16 in 2014, where they narrowly lost to eventual champions Germany in extra time. They qualified for this tournament comfortably, winning eight of their ten group matches.