Tuesday, 16th June 2026
Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 16th June 2026, 2:52 PM
Argentina are scheduled to play their first match of the current FIFA World Cup against Algeria at 07:00 BST. Prior to this fixture, the South American nation has participated in 18 previous editions of the tournament. The historical data regarding Argentina’s performance in their opening matches highlights a record of mixed outcomes across different eras.
1930 (Uruguay): On 15 July 1930, Argentina played their first-ever World Cup fixture, securing a 1–0 victory over France courtesy of an 81st-minute goal by Luis Monti. Argentina finished as runners-up after losing 4–2 to Uruguay in the final.
1934 (Italy): Under a direct knockout format, Argentina were eliminated in their very first match following a 3–2 defeat against Sweden.
1958 (Sweden): Returning to the global stage after refusing to participate in three consecutive tournaments, Argentina lost 3–1 to West Germany. Despite an early lead through Oreste Corbatta, goals from Helmut Rahn and Uwe Seeler sealed the win for West Germany. Argentina were knocked out in the group stage after a subsequent 6–1 defeat against Czechoslovakia.
1962 (Chile): Argentina commenced their campaign in Rancagua with a 1–0 win over Bulgaria, secured by Hector Facundo. However, a 3–1 loss to England and a 0–0 draw against Hungary prevented them from advancing.
1966 (England): A brace from Luis Artime ensured a 2–1 victory against Spain. Argentina progressed as group runners-up but were eliminated by the hosts, England, in the quarter-finals.
1974 (West Germany): Having failed to qualify for the 1970 tournament in Mexico—the only instance of non-qualification in their history—Argentina lost their 1974 opener 3–2 to Poland. They eventually exited the tournament during the second round.
1978 (Argentina): Hosting the tournament, Argentina recorded a narrow 2–1 victory over Hungary, with Daniel Bertoni scoring late. The team went on to lift their first World Cup trophy by defeating the Netherlands 3–1 in the final.
1982 (Spain): Arriving as defending champions, Argentina suffered a 1–0 defeat to Belgium at the Camp Nou, with Erwin Vandenbergh scoring the only goal. They were eliminated in the second round following defeats to Italy and Brazil.
1986 (Mexico): Argentina opened with a 3–1 win against South Korea at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, with two goals from Jorge Valdano and one from Oscar Ruggeri. This campaign concluded with Argentina winning their second World Cup title, defeating West Germany 3–2 at the Estadio Azteca.
1990 (Italy): In another opening fixture upset as defending champions, Argentina lost 1–0 to Cameroon due to a goal from François Omam-Biyik. Despite the loss, Argentina reached the final, where they finished as runners-up after a 1–0 defeat to West Germany.
1994 (United States): Argentina defeated Greece 4–0, featuring a goal by Diego Maradona and a hat-trick from Gabriel Batistuta. The campaign was disrupted midway when Maradona tested positive in a doping control, and the team was eliminated 3–2 by Romania in the second round.
1998 (France): Gabriel Batistuta scored the decisive goal in a 1–0 victory over tournament debutants Japan. Argentina’s campaign ended in the quarter-finals with a 2–1 loss to the Netherlands.
2002 (South Korea/Japan): Argentina defeated Nigeria 1–0 through a single goal by Batistuta. Despite entering as favourites after a strong qualification phase under Marcelo Bielsa, a defeat to England and a draw with Sweden resulted in a group-stage exit.
2006 (Germany): Goals from Hernan Crespo and Javier Saviola earned a 2–1 win against debutants Ivory Coast, who scored late via Didier Drogba. Argentina were later eliminated on penalties by hosts Germany in the quarter-finals.
2010 (South Africa): Facing Nigeria for the opening match, Gabriel Heinze scored the only goal in a 1–0 win at Ellis Park Stadium. Managed by Diego Maradona, the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals following a 4–0 defeat against Germany.
2014 (Brazil): Argentina registered a 2–1 win against debutants Bosnia and Herzegovina, utilizing an early own goal and a strike from Lionel Messi. Under coach Alejandro Sabella, the team reached the final but lost 1–0 to Germany in extra time.
2018 (Russia): Argentina drew 1–1 with Iceland. Sergio Agüero scored the opener, but Alfred Finnbogason equalised, and Lionel Messi missed a penalty. The team was eliminated 4–3 by France in the round of 16.
2022 (Qatar): Lionel Messi converted an early penalty, but second-half goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari resulted in a 2–1 victory for Saudi Arabia. This defeat ended Argentina’s 36-match unbeaten streak. However, the team recovered to win the tournament, defeating France in the final.
The cumulative performance metrics for Argentina across their 18 tournament-opening matches are structured in the statistical table below:
| Performance Metric | Statistical Value |
| Total Opening Matches Played | 18 |
| Matches Won | 11 |
| Matches Lost | 6 |
| Matches Drawn | 1 |
| Total Goals Scored (For) | 27 |
| Total Goals Conceded (Against) | 19 |
| Matches Without Scoring | 2 (1982, 1990) |
The historical data indicates that out of 18 total opening appearances, Argentina failed to score in only two instances, which occurred during the 1982 and 1990 tournaments.
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