The two remaining heavyweight openers land on the same day. France arrive at MetLife in the afternoon window, defending nothing and carrying a midfield that looks completely different to the one that lost the 2022 final. Argentina arrive at Arrowhead at 9 p.m. with the holders' badge stitched onto their chest, Lionel Messi conspicuously absent, and a younger spine asked to do what only Messi has done before. In between, Iraq make their first World Cup appearance in forty years against a Norway side that everybody wants to watch. The format closes the curtain on group openers tonight.
France vs Senegal · MetLife Stadium · 3:00 PM ET
France's first tournament without Antoine Griezmann in the starting XI for more than a decade. Didier Deschamps has rebuilt around Aurélien Tchouaméni at the base of midfield, Eduardo Camavinga drifting wider than usual, and Warren Zaïre-Emery picked over the more obvious options to break lines. The forward line is unchanged: Kylian Mbappé centrally, Bradley Barcola on the left, and Ousmane Dembélé restored on the right after a strong club season. The question for France is the back line. Ibrahima Konaté and Dayot Upamecano have not started a match together since March, and the defensive press is the area Deschamps has reworked the most going into this cycle.
Senegal are nobody's idea of an easy opener. Pape Matar Sarr has become one of the most underrated holding midfielders in Europe. Nicolas Jackson finishes more chances than his reputation suggests. Édouard Mendy is still excellent in goal. The shape, set up by Pape Thiaw, is aggressive on transitions and patient in settled possession — exactly the wrong combination for a French side trying to find rhythm. France should win this match. They will not win it comfortably.
Iraq vs Norway · Gillette Stadium · 6:00 PM ET
The first Iraq World Cup appearance since 1986. Jesús Casas has built a side that plays a deliberate, possession-heavy game and is stronger defensively than its FIFA ranking suggests. Aymen Hussein is the focal point in attack, with Ali Al-Hamadi and Zidane Iqbal breaking forward off him. The route to a result here is to win the midfield battle against a Norway side that does not always have a plan to break down a low block.
Norway is the team everyone wants to watch. Erling Haaland's first World Cup match. Martin Ødegaard pulling the strings. Antonio Nusa on either flank, and a back four anchored by Kristoffer Ajer that has improved year on year. Norway have been the highest-scoring team in European qualifying. They have also been a side that loses its shape against organised opposition that refuses to chase the ball. Iraq will play exactly that style. The fixture is the kind Norway need to navigate cleanly to make a serious tournament run. A 2-1 win, with Haaland scoring, is the projected outcome. A 1-1 draw is not impossible.
Argentina vs Algeria · Arrowhead Stadium · 9:00 PM ET
The first competitive Argentina match without Lionel Messi in twenty years. Lionel Scaloni has handed the captain's armband to Rodrigo De Paul, kept Lautaro Martínez as the central striker, and is rotating Julián Álvarez and Alejandro Garnacho off the left flank match by match. The midfield three of De Paul, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister is the engine, and is the part of the side that survives the generational change most intact. Cristian Romero anchors the back line. The squad is younger, faster, slightly less creative and a little more structurally sound.
Algeria, under Vladimir Petković, are physical, well drilled and carry a goal threat in Riyad Mahrez and Saïd Benrahma. The plan will be to compress space in front of the back four, force Argentina to attack from wide areas, and try to win one set piece in either direction. The opening twenty minutes will tell you everything. If Argentina settle into the rhythm Scaloni has spent two years building, this is comfortable. If they look tight, Algeria is the kind of opponent that punishes you.
Austria vs Jordan · Levi's Stadium · 12:00 AM ET
The late-late window closes the Group J opening day. Austria arrive as the higher-ranked side, with Marcel Sabitzer pulling strings in midfield, Konrad Laimer doing the running, and David Alaba marshalling a back four that has held together better than many predicted at his age. Ralf Rangnick has had this team playing aggressive pressing football for three years, and it should be exactly the wrong style for a Jordan side that prefers a slower tempo.
Jordan made their debut at the last Asian Cup final and have carried that confidence into qualifying. Mousa Tamari is the attacking creative who needs to win his individual battles for this to be close. The result almost certainly is an Austria win by two. The route to anything else is to make the match a slow, set-piece-heavy night and steal a moment. Watch the first half-hour — Rangnick's sides tire late, and Jordan are at their most physically dangerous after the seventy-fifth minute.
What's at stake by Wednesday morning
By the time Levi's empties out, every group in the tournament will have played at least one match. The picture is no longer partial. The three things to follow through the day:
- Mbappé's positioning. Deschamps spent the friendlies experimenting with Mbappé pushed slightly left of centre. The starting XI on Tuesday afternoon will signal which version of France this becomes.
- Haaland's first World Cup minute. Twenty-five years of Norwegian football has been waiting for it. The way Norway use him — pinned high, dropping deeper, isolated wide — is the tactical question of the day.
- Argentina's midfield without Messi. The first ninety minutes that this side plays competitive football with the new structure. Watch how De Paul progresses the ball.
Live scores, group tables and Round of 32 projections all on the Scorelisto soccer hub through the day. Daily recap on the blog index by Wednesday morning.
FAQ
Where can I watch France vs Senegal? Fox in the US, Telemundo in Spanish, TF1 in France, RTS in Senegal. The FIFA+ pass carries the full slate in markets where it is licensed.
Is Lionel Messi playing in this World Cup? No. Messi retired from international football following the 2024 Copa América. This is the first major Argentina tournament without him since 2005.
Is Erling Haaland starting? Yes. Ståle Solbakken confirmed Haaland in the central forward role at Monday's pre-match press conference.
How do tiebreakers work in this 48-team format? Points first, then goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head, then fair-play points, then drawing of lots. The full breakdown sits on the Scorelisto blog.