Broadcast info
Who's playing: After their heartbreaking loss in the 2014 World Cup final, Argentina begin their World Cup journey against debutants Iceland. Will Lionel Messi be able to inspire La Albiceleste to a vital win in a very tough quartet?
What time: Saturday, June 16th 06:00 PST/09:00 EST/14:00 BST/15:00 CET
What stadium: This game will be played at the Otkritie Arena. Located in Moscow, this venue can seat up to 41.465 fans for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Which channel:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Match facts and other stats
- Iceland are the smallest ever nation to qualify for a World Cup (population approximately 330K inhabitants)
- Argentina have qualified for knockout rounds in 11 of their last 12 World Cup appearances
- The only exception was in 2002
- In addition, they've also topped their group in each of the last three World Cups...
- ...and have won their opening game in each of the last six editions of this tournament
Preview
It goes without saying that the pressure will be on Argentina, and namely their talismanic skipper Lionel Messi, this summer. Despite his best efforts, La Albiceleste have suffered heartbreak in their last three tournaments, failing to win the trophy at the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America, and then the special edition of the tournament hosted in the USA in 2016.
Argentina didn't have the smoothest qualifying journey, and at one point, were actually in danger of missing out on the tournament entirely. However, star man Messi came up big once again, netting a notable hat-trick against Ecuador to seal their ticket to Russia, but now, they face a very tough task to ensure passage to the next round.
Whilst Iceland are making their debut, the tiny nation has quickly proven they're not a team to be underestimated. Not only did they pip Croatia to top spot in their qualifying group, but also shocked the world at EURO 2016, notably beating England in the round of 16 before being dispatched by France in the quarter-finals. Although they're winless in their last four games - losing to Mexico, Norway, and Peru before drawing with Ghana - certainly they will still be fancying their chances at qualifying for the round of 16 and causing a major upset.
Their chances at causing Argentina some problems have been boosted heavily by the return of key man Gylfi Sigurdsson, who was suffering from a serious injury but has since recovered.
Argentina will next have to take on Croatia before facing familiar foes Nigeria. Both obviously won't be easy opponents for the South American powerhouse, and certainly Jorge Sampaoli's side will want to start off their World Cup campaign on the right footing.
However, they've been dealt a major setback due to injuries to both Sergio Romero and Manuel Lanzini, and the latter's absence had many wondering if Mauro Icardi, who clinched the capocannoniere prize in Serie A would received a late recall. Sampaoli opted against it, and it will remain to be seen whether that choice will pay off as Argentina seeks a third World Cup title.
