Match at a glance
ARG / ALG10Attempts7
6On target1
47.8%Possession52.2%
89.8%Pass accuracy92.4%
13Fouls committed8
0Yellow cards0
0Red cards0
2Corners2
Argentina 3–0 Algeria: 2026 World Cup match result
2026 Group Stage · Group JAsk about this match
Argentina won in normal time
- Lionel Messi17'
- Lionel Messi60'
- Lionel Messi76'
Match in one glance
ArgentinaAlgeriaGoalCard
Argentina
Algeria
0′HTFT
First half0′–45′Second half45′–90′
How the lead moved
ARG ALG- 17'
Lionel Messi1 ARG - 60'Lionel Messi2 ARG
- 76'Lionel Messi3 ARG
Argentina led for the closing passage. Plotted from recorded goal times only — per-minute pressure is not in the source data.
Recorded standouts
Source actions, no ratings- 1
Lionel Messi 3 goals · 4 on target - 2
Rodrigo De Paul 1 assist · 1 fouls won - 3NGNico González 1 assist
- 4LZLuca Zidane
3 saves - 5
Alexis Mac Allister 1 on target · 1 fouls won
What separated the teams
Finishing
Argentina had the scoring edge
30.0%Goal conversion0.0%
Territory
Possession and shot volume told different stories
47.8%Possession52.2%
Defensive workload
Argentina made more recorded interventions
27Saves, interceptions, clearances23
Straight from the completed match report — no xG, tracking or player ratings.
Complete match timeline
ArgentinaAlgeriaGoalCardSubstitution
Argentina
Algeria
0′HTFT
First half0′–45′Second half45′–90′
Event feed
9 eventsKey phases
Goals in each periodFirst half
0′–45′1 – 0L. Messi 17'
Second half
45′–90′2 – 0L. Messi 60' · L. Messi 76'
Argentina
4-4-2
23
4Gonzalo MontielFM
25Facundo Medina
13Cristian RomeroLM
6Lisandro Martínez
24Listed formation · positions are schematic
Algeria
4-3-3LZ
23Luca ZidaneRB
17Rafik BelghaliRA
15Rayan Aït-NouriAM
2Aïssa MandiRB
21Ramy BensebainiNB
19Nabil BentalebHB
14Hicham BoudaouiIM
22Ibrahim Maza
9Listed formation · positions are schematic
Select a player portrait to see the recorded shirt number, position and lineup context.
Attendance69,045
RefereeSzymon Marciniak
ARG4-4-2
ALG4-3-3
Result statusFull time
Complete performance breakdown
ARGALG
Attacking output
Volume, accuracy and finishing from the recorded attempts.
10Attempts7
6On target1
1Blocked shots3
60.0%Shot accuracy14.3%
30.0%Goal conversion0.0%
Goals divided by attempts
Possession & passing
Control, circulation and progression of the ball.
47.8%Possession52.2%
504Passes completed563
89.8%Pass accuracy92.4%
1Crosses completed1
17Long balls completed15
Defensive work
Interventions made without treating workload as quality by itself.
0Saves3
19Tackles won10
70%Tackle success60%
10Interceptions8
17Clearances12
Discipline & pressure
Fouls, cards, offsides and set-piece pressure.
13Fouls committed8
3Offsides1
0Yellow cards0
0Red cards0
2Corners2
What separated the teams
Finishing
Argentina had the scoring edge
30.0%Goal conversion0.0%
Territory
Possession and shot volume told different stories
47.8%Possession52.2%
Defensive workload
Argentina made more recorded interventions
27Saves, interceptions, clearances23
Straight from the completed match report — no xG, tracking or player ratings.
Recorded standouts
Source actions, no ratings- 1Lionel Messi 3 goals · 4 on target
- 2Rodrigo De Paul 1 assist · 1 fouls won
- 3NGNico González 1 assist
- 4LZLuca Zidane 3 saves
- 5Alexis Mac Allister 1 on target · 1 fouls won
- 6
Lautaro Martínez 1 on target - 7AMAïssa Mandi 4 fouls won
- 8IMIbrahim Maza 2 fouls won
- 9RBRamy Bensebaini 2 fouls won
- 10AHAnis Hadj Moussa 1 fouls won
Player leaders
Who led the recorded actions
3
GoalsLionel Messi
Lionel Messi1
AssistsRodrigo De PaulNico González
Rodrigo De PaulNG
Nico González6
ShotsLionel Messi
Lionel Messi4
On targetLionel Messi
Lionel Messi4
Fouls wonAïssa Mandi
AM
Aïssa Mandi3
SavesLuca Zidane
LZ
Luca ZidaneDecisive moments
3 eventsTournament path
How both teams reached this match
ArgentinaAlgeriaGroup J impact
Table immediately after this result
1 of 6 group matches included.
PosTeamPGDPts
1Argentina21+33
Argentina21+332
Austria3000
Austria30003
Jordan4000
Jordan40004Algeria11-30
Algeria11-30Snapshot ordering uses points, goal difference and goals scored. It is contextual, not a replacement for FIFA's complete tie-break procedure.
All-time World Cup meetings
Argentina vs Algeria, across editions
1ARG wins
0Draws
0ALG wins
1meetings
3–0goal balance
0knockout meetings
Source: ESPN completed match report, retrieved Aug 18, 2026. Derived percentages are calculated from the displayed source values; missing fields are omitted rather than estimated.
Source: ESPN completed match report. Tournament context cross-checked against FIFA sources listed in the dataset.