Argentina open Group J in Kansas City against Algeria, a fixture shadowed by one of football’s most notorious historical episodes. In 1982, Algeria stunned West Germany 2-1 in their first-ever World Cup match. Two days later, West Germany and Austria played out a 1-0 result that eliminated Algeria on goal difference. The controlled, passionless final ten minutes of that match provoked outrage across football and led FIFA to mandate simultaneous final-round group games going forward. The match became known as the Disgrace of Gijon. Algeria have carried that wound into every World Cup since.

Argentina were not involved in Gijon, but they occupy a different kind of symbolic weight for Algeria. Argentina are the 2022 World Cup champions, the team that delivered Lionel Messi his long-awaited title in Qatar. Algeria are a nation that knows what it means to be on the wrong side of football politics, to do everything right and still lose. The gap between these programs in terms of World Cup pedigree is enormous, but Algerian football has been developing steadily, with a generation of players raised in French football’s academy system bringing technical quality and competitive edge.

For Argentina, this is a group opener where the result matters enormously. The defending champions carry pressure to perform from the first whistle. Their squad depth post-Messi will face its first real examination on the global stage.

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, sharing its complex with the Kansas City Chiefs, gives this match a vast American sporting backdrop. The ground holds over 76,000, and its atmosphere for big occasions is well established.

Algeria will not be intimidated by the occasion. Their 1982 history means they understand that World Cup football can be both beautiful and brutal. Argentina will bring quality. Algeria will bring belief.