Preview: Argentina vs Iceland - prediction, team news, lineups

As World Cup 2026 draws closer, reigning champions Argentina will face Iceland in a friendly at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama on Wednesday.

La Seleccion are eyeing a seventh consecutive victory in midweek, while Strakamir Okkar are hoping to avoid back-to-back defeats.

Match preview

Lionel Scaloni's Argentina lifted the World Cup in 2022, thanks in large part to the magic of Lionel Messi, and the holders will be desperate to help bolster the former Barcelona man's legacy further this summer.

La Seleccion booked their place at the 2026 finals all the way back in March 2025, and though they fell to a 1-0 loss against Ecuador in their last qualifier, Scaloni's side finished top of the South American table with an impressive 38 points - nine more than the runners-up.

Following on from that disappointing closer, Argentina have put together a flawless run of triumphs, most recently beating Honduras 2-0 on Sunday.

Alongside being their sixth win on the bounce, that latest victory marked the fifth time that the world champions kept a clean sheet during that run, and such consistently impressive resilience bodes well for the upcoming tournament.

La Seleccion fans heading to the watch Wednesday's showdown will also draw confidence from the fact that their team have scored 18 goals across their last six outings, and supporters will be expecting another strong showing as a result.

Meanwhile, Arnar Gunnlaugsson's Iceland missed out on the World Cup for the second time in a row after reaching the 2018 finals, and they will be hoping to make a fresh start in the coming months.

However, given that they are set to clash against the reigning champions of the world, they will be hard-pressed to find success on Wednesday, especially considering their own dire form.

Strakamir Okkar come into this friendly after their 1-0 defeat against Japan on May 31, a game that saw Koki Ogawa take advantage of FIFA's new '10-second rule' to score an 87th-minute winner.

That loss extended Iceland's winless run to five matches, a stretch that goes back to a 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan on November 13.

Notably, the nation's last triumph was also their only one during their nine most recent fixtures, a particularly poor spell that also features five defeats and three draws.

Argentina International Friendlies form:

Argentina form (all competitions):

Iceland International Friendlies form:

Iceland form (all competitions):

Team News

Argentina talisman Lionel Messi returned to the matchday squad against Honduras after recovering from a hamstring injury, though he remained an unused substitute.

The 38-year-old forward is unlikely to start on Wednesday, but he could see a few minutes of action in order to build rhythm before the World Cup, and Scaloni may start Lautaro Martinez and Thiago Almada up top, with Giuliano Simeone and Nico Gonzalez out wide.

Right-back Gonzalo Montiel is working his way into contention following a minor muscle injury, so expect to see Augustin Giay join Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, and Nicolas Tagliafico in defence this week.

Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid's Juan Musso could continue in goal, though Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez - who suffered a broken finger - has begun training with the ball once again in a bid to be ready for the World Cup.

As for Iceland, shot-stopper Hakon Valdimarsson will be hoping to keep a clean sheet on Wednesday, relying on a back three of Daniel Gretarsson, Stefan Thordarson and Hordur Magnusson to help keep the world champions at bay.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Gunnlaugsson could continue with Brynjolfur Willumsson as a lone striker, looking to the Groningen man to make the most of his chances.

Argentina possible starting lineup:

Musso; Giay, Romero, Martinez, Tagliafico; Simeone, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Gonzalez; Martinez, Almada

Iceland possible starting lineup:

Valdimarsson; Thorhallsson, Gretarsson, S Thordarson, Magnusson, Tomasson; Ellertsson, G Thordarson, Baldursson, Hlynsson; Willumsson