Lionel Messi's Argentina and Kylian Mbappe's France, the two teams that played one of the greatest World Cup finals four years ago, start their 2026 campaigns on Tuesday.

Argentina, who won that dramatic Doha final on penalties after a 3-3 draw, face Algeria in Kansas City. Messi, 38, is playing in his sixth World Cup. Coach Lionel Scaloni said the Inter Miami star “looks good” despite a hamstring injury he picked up in late May.

“Everyone wants to see him out on the pitch, not just Argentines, because of the impact he has on people,” Scaloni said. Messi proved his fitness by coming off the bench and scoring in a warm-up against Iceland last week. “He’s a competitive animal,” said defender Nicolas Otamendi. “He forces you to keep trying, he doesn’t let you relax.”

France, with Mbappe, Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and winger Michael Olise, open against Senegal in New Jersey. The French will be desperate to avoid a repeat of their 2002 opening defeat to Senegal, which led to the then-reigning champions crashing out in the group stage.

“The first match is very important but it’s not decisive,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “But the one thing we can’t measure or quantify is the emotional aspect. Some players might tense up with the atmosphere around the match.” France have reached the final in four of the last seven World Cups, winning two.

Erling Haaland makes his World Cup finals debut for Norway against Iraq. Norway qualified for the first time since 1998. Haaland just finished as the Premier League’s top scorer for the third time in four seasons at Manchester City and has 55 goals in 50 caps for Norway.

“Hopefully he’ll have a very big impact,” said Norway coach Stale Solbakken, who was in the squad the last time Norway played at the finals. Iraq’s Australian coach Graham Arnold believes his team can pull off an upset. “We’ve got to perform to our best and try to shock the world,” Arnold said.

In Monday’s action, pre-tournament favourites Spain were held to a shock goalless draw by tiny Cape Verde, one of the debutants. Even Barcelona star Lamine Yamal couldn't break the deadlock.

Iran played out a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Los Angeles as tens of thousands of California’s Iranian diaspora watched. Afterwards, coach Amir Ghalenoei called Iran the “most oppressed team in the World Cup” after his players were told they must travel back to Mexico immediately. Iranian state media later said winger Mehdi Torabi’s visa had expired because he was issued a single-entry visa instead of the multiple-entry one given to other players. It's the latest logistical problem for an Iran squad already dealing with a diplomatic row between Tehran and Washington. They changed their training base from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico shortly before the tournament.

In Seattle, Egypt took the lead through Emam Ashour against Belgium, but Romelu Lukaku came off the bench and his physical presence forced Egypt defender Mohamed Hany to score an own goal, giving Belgium a point. Uruguay also had to come from behind to draw with Saudi Arabia in Group H.