The 2026 World Cup is gaining momentum. Already on the night of June 17 and early in the morning, the main heavyweights of world football will enter the fray. France begins its journey with a match of déjà vu against the strong Senegal, while the reigning world champions — the Argentinians — will test the unyielding Algeria.
France — Senegal: Battle for gold and historical memory
The match will take place on June 16 at 22:00 Kyiv time at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford (USA). The star-studded French national team, led by Didier Deschamps, starts the tournament as one of the main contenders for the "gold". For the coach himself, this World Cup will be his last in the post.
"Les Bleus" have brought a stellar squad: the roster includes captain Kylian Mbappé, who has scored in the last six official games, current "Ballon d'Or" holder Ousmane Dembélé, and young star Michael Olise. The French easily passed the qualifiers (where they also played against Ukraine) and are focused exclusively on victory.
However, their opponent is maximally dangerous. Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year (despite the office scandals regarding the technical defeat) and has not lost in official matches in regular time for almost four years.
Moreover, historical memory is alive: at the 2002 World Cup, Senegal sensationally defeated the then-reigning champions — the French (1:0). Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Édouard Mendy are ready to lead the youth to repeat the legendary feat of their predecessors.
Argentina — Algeria: Title defense and the risk of a sensation
The second main match of Group J will take place on June 17 at 4:00 in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. The reigning world champions, the Argentinians, led by Lionel Messi, begin the defense of their title won in Qatar. For the 38-year-old Leo, this is definitely his last World Cup in his career, so the motivation of the "albiceleste" is off the charts.
Lionel Scaloni's team has kept its championship core (Romero, De Paul, Mac Allister, Alvarez) and approaches the start in solid form, having crushed Zambia (5:0) and Iceland (3:0) in recent sparring matches. Only Tagliafico and Balerdi will not play due to injuries.
Algeria, under the leadership of experienced Vladimir Petković, will certainly not be "punching bags." The African team confidently passed the qualifiers, and immediately before the World Cup created a loud sensation by beating the Netherlands in a friendly match (1:0). The Algerian squad is very solid: here is the star 35-year-old Riyad Mahrez, "Manchester City" defender Ryan Aït-Nouri, and even the eldest son of the legendary Zinedine Zidane — Luca Zidane in goal.
Argentina should remember the lessons of the 2022 World Cup, when they started with a defeat to Saudi Arabia, because Algeria is capable of punishing for the slightest underestimation.
Where to watch and other matches
In addition to the confrontations involving the main favorites of the World Cup, two more matches will take place in Groups I and J. In particular, Norway will start with unstoppable Erling Haaland.
Due to the time zone difference, some matches according to Kyiv time will take place at night and in the morning of June 17. Live broadcast of matches in Ukraine will be available on the Megogo media service with MEGOPACK and "Sport" subscriptions, as well as in MEGOPACK N+S and MEGOPACK Y.