Later today, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will get underway. There are two matches on Thursday’s docket: Host team Mexico gets things started against South Africa, while a little later South Korea will square off with Czechia. And in short order, the other 44 teams will join the fray. Here, we are keeping track on […]
Starting the competition as the reigning champions, Lionel Messi's Argentina will be heading to the 2026 World Cup with the task to be the first back-to-back winners in 64 years. Lionel Messi is headed to a record-breaking sixth career World Cup, but 2026 brings uncharted territory. For the first time, he carries the immense weight of defending the crown Argentina won back in 2022. While the Albiceleste enter the tournament as heavy betting favorites, history is working against them: only an elite, microscopic tier of footballing nations have ever managed to win back-to-back titles. On Day 6 of the 2026 World Cup this Tuesday, June 16, Argentina formally kicks off its campaign against Algeria. The reigning champions enter the match nursing several key injuries, none more devastating than star forward Julian Alvarez, while defender Marcos Senesi was a late addition to the roster to replace the injured Leonardo Balerdi. Messi’s path forward features a Matchday 2 clash against Austria on Monday, June 22, before wrapping up group play against tournament debutants Jordan on Saturday, June 27. Should they top Group G, the Albiceleste would face the runner-up of Group H—a brutal crossover that could potentially draw a powerhouse like Spain or Uruguay in the Round of 32, ensuring a treacherous road if they hope to pull off the repeat. Last back-to-back World Cup champion The last national team to successfully defend its World Cup title was Brazil, a historic feat that has incredibly gone unmatched for 64 years. In Sweden 1958, a 17-year-old Pele famously took the world by storm, scoring in the final to claim the trophy over the hosts in a 5-2 rout. Four years later at Chile 1962, Pele was hobbled by an early injury, but the Selecao still rallied to hoist the world championship once again. FIFA World Cup Trophy. In fact, the consecutive-title club is the most exclusive fraternity in international sports. The only country outside of Brazil to secure back-to-back World Cups is Italy, who actually became the first nation to achieve the milestone with triumphs in the 1934 and 1938 tournaments. Since Brazil’s historic repeat in 1962, 15 iterations of the tournament have come and gone with the feat remaining completely untouched. That doesn’t mean dominant teams haven’t come agonizingly close, however; several heavyweights marched all the way to the precipice of a repeat before falling at the final hurdle. Brazil itself missed out on what would have been a staggering three-peat. After capturing the title in 1994, they reached the final again at France 1998, only to be thoroughly dismantled 3-0 by the host nation, spoiling both the repeat and their eventual 2002 championship run. The most recent heartbreak belongs to France. After conquering the world in Russia in 2018, Les Bleus stormed back to the final at Qatar 2022, only to lose a thrilling, breathless penalty shootout to Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Argentina has also stared down this exact historical ghost before, meeting the same tragic fate. Driven by the sheer brilliance of Diego Maradona, Argentina captured its second star in 1986 and pushed all the way to the final at Italia ’90, only to suffer a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to West Germany. Now, Messi and company get their shot at breaking soccer’s modern 64-year curse.
Argentina are set to make their 2026 World Cup debut, facing Algeria. As the latest World Cup winners, they are favorite to win the trophy, but they may need to overcome Vladimir Petkovic’s team. Szymon Marciniak will be in charge of officiating the encounter. After securing the historic victory at the 2022 World Cup, Argentina are preparing to make their debut in the 2026 edition against Algeria. As the reigning champions, they arrive as the clear favorites to claim the victory, but Vladimir Petković’s team could pose several challenges. For the 23rd edition of the tournament, fans are eager to know who will be the referee for the match at Arrowhead Stadium, officially known as Kansas City Stadium. Szymon Marciniak will be the referee in charge of officiating Lionel Messi’s team’s debut at the 2026 World Cup. After receiving his FIFA badge in 2011, the Polish referee will be working his third edition of the tournament, where he has earned significant recognition. His last participation in the competition was the final of the 2022 edition, where he awarded three penalties and showed yellow cards to eight players, coming through with little controversy. Accompanying Marciniak, FIFA has appointed Tomasz Listkiewicz of Poland as the first assistant referee and Adam Kupsik of Poland as the second assistant referee. Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh of New Zealand has been assigned as the fourth official. As the reserve assistant referee, Isaac Trevis of New Zealand has been selected. With them, Argentina and Algeria will make their debut at the 2026 World Cup. Szymon Marciniak has had an impeccable refereeing career Szymon Marciniak has built an outstanding career as a FIFA referee. In 2014, he made his debut in the UEFA Champions League and later officiated the UEFA Under-21 European Championship final in 2015. By remaining largely free of controversy, FIFA appointed him to officiate at the 2018 World Cup, where he earned positive reviews that eventually led to him refereeing the 2022 final between Argentina and France. Marcus Thuram of France is shown a yellow card by referee Szymon Marciniak. Not only did he officiate the most recent World Cup final in 2022, but he has also taken charge of the UEFA Champions League final. In 2023, he was selected to referee the final between Manchester City and Inter Milan, managing the match with few mistakes. Because of this, he has been selected as the best referee of the world by IFFHS in 2022 and 2023, denoting his huge professionalism. With Marciniak on the field, the Argentina-Algeria match’s protagonism is expected to be centered on the players’ performances rather than his decisions. Moreover, he is known for letting play flow and being more strict with fouls, while also being willing to show numerous yellow cards if needed. Unlike many referees, he has developed a perfect method to balance VAR and his own decisions, being acknowledged for his game management.
From Zagreb to Wembley and Moscow, the Croatia great has derailed the Three Lions on many occasions. Now he’s ready for one last dance in DallasWhen Luka Modric first played against England, Tony Blair was still in office. Arsenal had just moved from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium, Italy were newly crowned world champions and Pep Guardiola retired as a player after a six-month spell in Mexico with Dorados. Twitter was less than three months old and Facebook had been made fully public earlier that year. Amy Winehouse’s album Back to Black was about to be released, while the much-hyped film Borat was coming to cinemas.Football fans in England – and in Croatia – may recognise which game it was solely from that last bit of pop culture history: the European Championship qualifier in Zagreb on 11 October 2006. Continue reading...
If the opening days of the tournament have taught us anything, it’s that reputations count for very little once the FIFA World Cup gets underway.Upsets continue to pile up, unexpected heroes are ste...
Martin joins Leicester after relegation to League OneEx-Gil Vicente coach Peixoto replaces Rob EdwardsLeicester have confirmed Russell Martin’s appointment as manager, on the same day as Wolves unveiled César Peixoto as head coach, replacing Rob Edwards.The two Midlands clubs were relegated from the Championship and the Premier League respectively last season and have moved quickly to restructure their setup, with Martin joining Leicester eight months after his nightmare 123-day stint in charge of Rangers came to an end. Continue reading...
Iraq and Norway will meet at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Tuesday evening, as both nations begin their 2026 World Cup campaigns in Group I. Iraq returns to the World Cup stage for the first time in 40 years, and they wish to produce one of the early shocks of the tournament, while Norway arrives […] The post Prediction: Iraq vs Norway appeared first on SoccerNews.
