Scaloni warns of Algeria threat ahead of Argentina's World Cup 2026 opener

Argentina begin their World Cup title defence against Algeria, and coach Lionel Scaloni made no secret of his concerns at a press conference, openly comparing the Fennecs to Morocco, one of the tournament’s surprise packages.

The memory of Argentina’s opening defeat to Saudi Arabia in Qatar remains fresh. Scaloni has clearly learned from that setback: « Algeria is a team similar to Morocco. They play in a rather similar way, they have great players, a great coach whom I also know and who makes his team play very well. There is no easy opponent. Every national team has its place at the World Cup, so you must never let your guard down. Algeria is a team that concerns us because it has very high-level players. It will be a good test, important but not decisive. »

Argentina’s caution is reinforced by the broader tournament context: African nations have so far upset the favourites, with Morocco drawing with Brazil (1-1) and Cape Verde holding Spain to a goalless draw (0-0). « They are very muscular, very physical… They have played with a three-man defence, with a four-man defence, and we’ll see how they play tomorrow. It’s a good team that will give us a real challenge, » Scaloni added. He himself played under Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic at Lazio Rome in 2012-2013.

On the Algerian side, Petkovic is displaying ambition after a warm-up victory over the Netherlands. However, he ruled out a plan specifically designed to neutralise Lionel Messi: « We are trying to offer something different and to dominate with my team. I have never made a plan solely to stop one player and that won’t be the case tomorrow either. But we are looking to limit those who can help these world-class players express themselves at their best. »

The Swiss coach summed up his squad’s mindset: « Of course, it will be a tricky match against one of the favourites but we have seen that nothing is impossible. We must believe in it and work hard. »