Argentina opened its World Cup 2026 campaign against Argelia in Kansas City on Tuesday, and Lisandro Martínez was part of the starting side Lionel Scaloni sent into the tournament’s first test. The defending champions began with Lionel Messi, Emiliano Martínez, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez in the 11 initial, a lineup built to show control from the start.
The search around Lisandro Martínez is coming now because Argentina’s opener carried immediate weight: the team entered Mundial 2026 as the current champion, and every early result helps define whether that status still looks real on the field. Scaloni tried to set the tone before kickoff by saying Argelia was a rival similar to Marruecos, a comparison that made sense only if the numbers are read through the details of the tournament. Marruecos had held Brazil to a draw three days earlier, a reminder that compact, disciplined sides can slow down even the biggest names.
For Argentina, the names in the lineup mattered as much as the venue. Messi and Lautaro Martínez gave the attack a familiar shape. De Paul, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister offered the midfield balance that usually lets Argentina move the ball without losing structure. Lisandro Martínez’s presence in the opening 11 signaled that Scaloni wanted security as much as flair in a match that would set the rhythm for the rest of the group stage.
The day’s other result added its own complication. Noruega beat Irak 2-1 on Tuesday, but even that scoreline did not settle cleanly at first. The decisive last-minute goal was first credited to Kristian Thorstvedt before FIFA later recorded it as an own goal by Aymen Hussein, who had already scored Irak’s only goal. Erling Haaland scored two goals for Noruega, and Leo Østigård added another from a corner kick, a reminder that tournament records can change even when the result does not.
That is the part Argentina will be measured against next. The champions have started their World Cup 2026 defense, but the opening match is only the first evidence of where this campaign is headed, and the result against Argelia will decide whether Scaloni’s early confidence looks sharp or premature. For now, Lisandro Martínez is part of the answer Argentina chose to show on day one.
