Champions Argentina will begin their defence of the World Cup against Algeria in a Group J contest that also contains Austria and Jordan. Lionel Messi will be hoping he can become a back-to-back champion in what is likely his final major tournament for his country.

To celebrate the momentous occasion that is the World Cup, Sportsbet is bringing back its exclusive Super Sub feature!

How does Super Sub work? Well, it’s very simple. Place a bet on select player markets throughout the Men’s World Cup and if that player is subbed off your bet rolls over to the new player that replaced them.

For example, if you’ve bet on Kylian Mbappe to score during one of France’s matches and during that match he fails to do so and is directly substituted for Jean-Philippe Mateta who ends up scoring instead, your original bet on Mbappe is paid as a winner!

Super Sub is not exclusive to goalscoring markets either, it also applies to anytime assist, player to win one or more fouls, shots on target and more, just make sure to read all the T&Cs before locking in your bet.

Quick Picks

Our pick: Argentina to win

Value bet: Over 2.5 goals

Long shot: Argentina 2-0 - Half-Time Correct Score

Argentina vs Algeria prediction

Argentina have been made the big early favourites to win this encounter, as our Argentina vs Algeria betting odds page shows. The odds being offered and confidence in them is largely due to the fact that they have won five of their last six Group Stage night matches.

However, it’s also worth remembering that they lost their opening World Cup clash against Saudi Arabia in the 2022 Group Stages.

There is better value in Argentina to be leading at half-time, compared to the moneyline odds. Argentina has won the first half in each of their last four major tournament matches, and with the star quality they have, this could be a pattern that continues.

Algeria will enter this game in solid form. The African nation have won four of their last five competitive games, including qualifiers, although they’ve struggled when it’s come to the actual tournament.

Vladimir Petković is tasked with trying to surpass the Group Stage for just the second time in Algeria’s history, having played in four previous editions.

Lionel Scaloni’s side have won the seven friendlies in the lead-up to this World Cup, with their previous loss being the final game of the qualification period. Still, they had 12 wins from 18 games, with two draws and four defeats.

Argentina are strong, and they are our likely winners…

If you're keen to back Messi and co, it's worth getting across how the various World Cup betting markets work first, and brushing up on what a multi bet actually is before stacking selections across the day.

Argentina vs Algeria score prediction

The BTTS to hit looks to offer significant value if you believe Algeria can find a route to goal and punish Argentina, perhaps on the break like Saudi Arabia did four years ago. Algeria have goals in them, with Mohamed Amoura having 14 goal involvements which accounted for 58.3% of Algeria’s total qualifying goals.

The odds are low due to Scaloni’s run of clean sheets, keeping six in the seven friendlies played. However, the one time they did concede, it came against an African nation back in March.

In terms of goals, the 'Under 2.5 Goals' market has hit during regulation time in five of Algeria's last seven matches at this tournament. Given we think they could hit the South Americans on the break, we think there is better value in the ‘Over 2.5 Goals’.

Our long shot is the ‘Argentina 2-0 - Half-Time Correct Score’ market, as Argentina has led 2-0 at half-time in each of their last two matches in this major tournament.

Argentina vs Algeria team news and line-ups

Predicted Argentina line-up (4-3-3): Emiliano Martínez, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Thiago Almada.

Scaloni leans heavily on the core that won the title in 2022, and still has plenty of firepower in reserve off the bench.

Nicolás Tagliafico is reportedly a doubt with a knock, Lionel Messi faces a late fitness test on a mild hamstring strain, Julián Álvarez is reportedly a doubt with an ankle problem, while Nico Paz is reportedly a doubt with a knee problem.

Predicted Algeria line-up (3-4-2-1): Luca Zidane, Aïssa Mandi, Zineddine Belaïd, Ramy Bensebaini, Rafik Belghali, Hicham Boudaoui, Nabil Bentaleb, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Anis Hadj Moussa, Ibrahim Maza, Amine Gouiri.

Algeria are tipped to operate with a back three and wing-backs pushing on to support the front line.

Ramy Bensebaini is reportedly a doubt with a foot problem, while Ayoub Ghezala is expected to miss out with a shoulder injury.

Player markets to watch

Lionel Messi will typically offer value to have a goal contribution, although he has better value as an anytime goalscorer over being an assister. Messi will know the conditions well, having spent the last couple of seasons playing in North America with Inter Miami.

He provided a nation-high 11 goal involvements during qualification, but only has two goals in his last five competitive games.

With Messi involved, the ‘Argentina to Win Each Half, Lionel Messi to Score & Argentina to Have Most Corners in Each Half’ market appears to have a lot of value to it. We think Messi will score, use their attacking threat to dominate each half and force the goalkeeper and defenders into saves and blocks.

Alternative value could be found in the ‘Argentina 1+ Goals in Each Half; Argentina 3+ Corners in Each Half & Algeria 1+ Cards in Each Half’. With Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, and Thiago Almada all potentially involved, there’s a good chance that this comes through.

Argentina vs Algeria Match Details

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

Kick-off: 11:00am AEST.

Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City.

Where to watch: Sportsbet, SBS.

Where to Watch Argentina vs Algeria

For the first time ever, Sportsbet is offering punters the chance to stream World Cup matches live*.

To watch Sportsbet's live streams of the World Cup, you must:

- Be 18+.

- Have a Sportsbet account.

- Be logged into your Sportsbet account.

- Have a positive balance OR have placed a bet in the last 24 hours.

World Cup streaming is available both in-app and on-web. As long as you meet the above requirements, you'll be able to tune in on your computer, tablet or phone.

To access the stream for Argentina vs Algeria simply find your way to the official betting page for this match. Or, if you have a bet on the game you can watch from your "My Bets" section.

Traditional World Cup broadcaster SBS is also showing every World Cup match, meaning you can also watch Argentina vs Algeria on either SBS, SBS Viceland or SBS On Demand.

*18+ Available to Sportsbet customers only. Conditions apply – see sportsbet.com.au