The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11, and Argentina will begin its quest to defend its title on June 16 at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas. They’ll face Algeria in Group J, alongside Austria and Jordan.

While Argentina’s group stage rivals have been decided, the team’s route to repeating its Qatar 2022 conquest is still filled with incognitos. 

The tournament will use a new format: there are now 48 teams, instead of 32, and they are split into 12 groups of four. After a round of all-vs-all matchups, the top two from each group and the best eight third-placed teams go to the knockout stage.

Argentina is heading into the tournament under the guidance of head coach Lionel Scaloni. It is on Pathway 2, a system set up by FIFA to balance out the competition and ensure top-ranked nations won’t match up in the early stages. 

So, if they all win their respective groups, Argentina and Spain can’t match up........

© Buenos Aires Herald