Competition
The holders begin their World Cup 2026 quest – who's the man in the middle?
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Argentina vs Algeria at 2am is the very stuff of World Cup football. A late night for fans in the United Kingdom is may be, but it's the first game of the tournament for the reigning champions.
World Cup 2026 is in all likelihood the last time we'll see Argentina captain Lionel Messi on the global stage. His aim is a simple one, but not straightforward: Win the thing again. That quest begins in Kansas City today.
Algeria will be determined to stand in their way but who's been assigned to referee the first match in Group J?
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Referee appointment for Argentina vs Algeria
The group opener at Arrowhead Stadium will be officiated by one of FIFA's most experienced and respected referees.
Szymon Marciniak from Poland has been FIFA-listed since 2011 and the 45-year-old will be taking part in his third World Cup after debuting in Russia in 2018. Messi and Argentina know him very well.
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Marciniak has been the referee for Argentina matches at both of his previous World Cups, overseeing their group stage draw with Iceland in 2018 and two matches in Qatar four years later.
The Pole was in charge of Argentina's round of 16 win over Australia in Al Rayyan before being given the greatest refereeing honour of all. When Argentina overcame France in the 2022 final and Messi lifted the trophy, Marciniak was the referee.
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Marciniak is a regular in the Champions League. In four group stage matches in 2025-26, he issued a total of 12 yellow cards and awarded a single penalty kick.
He was the referee in Istanbul when Manchester City beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final in 2022-23
In all, Marciniak has refereed 78 matches in the Champions League and Europa League, sending off 18 players.
Fellow Polish officials Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik will the Marciniak's assistant referees in Kansas City, with New Zealand's Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh named as fourth official.
VAR will be led by Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland).
Chris is a Warwickshire-based freelance football writer specialising in West Midlands football, the Premier League, the EFL and the J.League. He is the author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review . He supports Coventry Sphinx.
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