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The Argentina national team, led by Lionel Messi, has a significant opportunity to restore South America's reputation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

BOLASPORT.COM – South America’s image at the 2026 World Cup could still be salvaged by Argentina and Colombia after four of the continent’s other representatives produced disappointing performances.

The 2026 World Cup has already completed its first round of matches for Groups A through H.

This means that four groups—Groups I, J, K, and L—are yet to play their opening fixtures.

Unexpectedly, four of the six South American representatives struggled in their initial matches of the tournament.

Brazil (Group C), Paraguay (Group D), Ecuador (Group E), and Uruguay (Group H) all failed to secure a victory.

Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco, while Uruguay shared the same result in their clash against Saudi Arabia.

Paraguay fared worse, suffering a heavy 1-4 defeat against the United States.

Meanwhile, Ecuador fell 0-1 to Ivory Coast.

Given these disappointing opening results, concerns have emerged about the overall performance of South American teams in this year’s World Cup.

However, not all hope is lost, as two CONMEBOL teams—Argentina (Group J) and Colombia (Group K)—have yet to play their first matches.

Argentina are scheduled to face Algeria on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in the morning (Indian Standard Time).

As the reigning champions and the current number one team in the FIFA rankings, La Albiceleste are widely expected to secure a comfortable victory.

Adding to their advantage, Argentina boast a star-studded squad captained by Lionel Messi.

Head coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Messi will feature in the match against Algeria.

Previously, the Inter Miami forward had been sidelined due to an injury sustained while playing for his club.

Fortunately, Messi made a return as a substitute in Argentina’s final warm-up game, signalling a positive recovery.

Scaloni assured that Messi’s fitness has improved significantly and that the superstar has been looking sharp during training sessions.

“Leo Messi is always there for us and has always been a fundamental player,” Scaloni said, as quoted by BolaSport.com via Sportskeeda.

“He will be even more crucial now, and he looks to be in top condition at the moment,” he added.

On paper, Argentina are far superior and are the clear favourites to claim all three points against Algeria.

Meanwhile, Colombia are set to face debutants Uzbekistan on Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the morning (Indian Standard Time).

Given Colombia’s impressive run during the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, they are expected to overcome Uzbekistan without much difficulty in their tournament opener.