UK News
Middle East crisis live: Trump says he does not want to extend ceasefire with Iran | US-Israel war on Iran
Trump says he does not want to extend ceasefire with Iran
President Donald Trump told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday that he did not want to extend a ceasefire with Iran, adding the US was in a strong negotiating position and would end up with what he called a great deal.
“I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” Trump said when asked about the possibility of extending the ceasefire.
Trump also said that the US was in a strong negotiating position with Iran and would end up with a “great deal”.
Key events
Lebanon’s prime minister and French president Emmanuel Macron will discuss on Tuesday how to strengthen the country’s hand in possible direct negotiations with Israel in the United States later this week, as Beirut turns to a trusted European ally.
The US will host ambassador-level talks with Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, although it remains unclear whether the objective is to extend a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah or pave the way for deeper negotiations.
Israeli troops occupy territory deep in the south, aiming to create a buffer zone to shield northern Israel from Hezbollah attack, while the group says it maintains the “right to resist” Israeli occupation.
“France’s role is not to insert itself between the parties in discussions that are, by nature, bilateral and direct,” a French presidency official said ahead of prime minister Nawaf Salam’s meeting with Macron.
“France is one of the countries capable of playing a very concrete role in strengthening the Lebanese government’s hand and supporting its action in practical terms.“
Well, it looks like there was some miscommunication with our video service and there is in fact no Pete Hegseth press conference today.
We will all have to wait a little while longer to hear his latest pearls of wisdom and unique take on the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is due to give a war briefing at the Pentagon alongside Gen Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, in about five minutes.
Stay with us as we will be covering it live and will attach a feed of the briefing at the top of the blog.
The Pentagon says US forces boarded the sanctioned M/T Tifani tanker overnight “without incident” in the Asia Pacific region.
“As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran – anywhere they operate,” the US Department of Defense wrote in a post on X.
US and Iran signal they will return to Pakistan for ceasefire talks – report
The Associated Press is reporting that two regional officials have said the US and Iran have indicated they will hold a new round of the ceasefire talks in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital.
Officials told the news agency that “Pakistan-led mediators” received confirmation that the US vice-president JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will arrive in Islamabad tomorrow morning to lead their teams in the talks.
We have not been able to independently verify this report. Iran, which has sent mixed messages about the talks, has said speculation about them sending a delegation to Pakistan should not be believed.
Iran’s state broadcaster earlier dismissed “rumours” about the departure or arrival (times) of the delegation being spread by unnamed “international outlets and regional sources”.
Yesterday evening, Ghalibaf said in a social media post that his country would not attend negotiations while under threat – and warned they were “prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield”.
Trump claims Iran has ‘violated’ ceasefire agreement ‘numerous times’
In an extremely brief Truth Social post, the US president, Donald Trump, has said that “Iran has violated the ceasefire numerous times”, without specifying what these breaches were.
His comments come amid continuing uncertainty over whether a second round of peace talks between Iran and the US will take place in Pakistan today.
On Sunday, Trump accused Iran of firing on ships passing through the strait of Hormuz in what he claimed was in violation of the ceasefire agreement due to expire tomorrow.
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, however, said it was Washington’s blockade of the waterway that was a violation of the agreement. Trump said on Friday that the naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal was reached.
At least 26 Iranian ‘shadow fleet’ vessels have slipped through US blockade of strait of Hormuz
At least 26 Iranian “shadow fleet” vessels have bypassed the US naval blockade of the strait of Hormuz, according to Lloyd’s List.
Since the US blockade took effect on 13 April, as many as 26 vessels have continued moving in and out of Iranian ports and have exported Iranian-origin cargo, maritime data shows. Lloyd’s List said 11 tankers laden with Iranian cargo have left the Gulf of Oman or the Middle East Gulf since 13 April.
Iran officially closed the strait – to “hostile” countries – on 4 March in response to US-Israeli airstrikes on the country, and briefly declared it back open on Friday after a 10-day ceasefire deal was agreed between Israel and Lebanon.
But Iranian officials said over the weekend they were effectively closing the vital waterway again after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iranian ports.
Since the blockade began, the US has directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port, according to a social media post published by Centcom yesterday.
China’s ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, has expressed his “full support” of Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the US and Iran.
In a post on X, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said talks between the country’s deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as foreign minister, and Zaidong focused on the “latest regional developments”.
“Amb Zaidong conveyed China’s full support for and appreciation of Pakistan’s continued efforts to facilitate engagement between US and Iran for sustained peace and stability in the region and beyond,” the ministry said.
During a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that “normal traffic” through the strait of Hormuz “should be maintained” and, according to state media, said China “advocates for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire”.
China is widely seen to have benefited from the US-Israel war on Iran as it has enabled Beijing to boost its diplomatic power and the country’s fossil fuel stockpiles and diversified energy mix insulated it from the worst of the oil shock, as my colleague notes in this analysis piece.
The Chinese yuan has also been used by ships that have paid tolls to Iran for safe transit across the strait of Hormuz, according to reports.
The internet blackout in Iran has entered its 53rd day, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks. It said in a post on its website:
The Iran internet blackout is now in its 53rd day after 1248 hours of disconnection from global networks.
As authorities work to develop tiered access for select users and businesses, the human impacts and economic harms of this digital censorship measure continue to spiral.
A select number of officials are still able to use the internet and post regularly on social media about the war. There was an earlier internet shutdown in January during nationwide protests, which helped obscure extreme violence against Iran’s population.
Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot has described Israel’s military actions in Lebanon as “totally unacceptable”.
“Israel’s conduct is completely unacceptable. Of course, we must firmly condemn Hezbollah’s initial attacks, which, in seeking to show solidarity with Iran, dragged Lebanon into a war it did not want, as well as Israel’s disproportionate and indiscriminate response,” Prevot said ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
He also said Belgium is calling for at least a partial suspension of the EU’s Association’s Agreement with Israel, adding that Belgium is “aware that a full suspension is probably out of reach given the positions of the various European countries” ( see post at 09.19 for more details).
Israel started a war on Lebanon on 2 March when Hezbollah, the Iranian backed Lebanese militant group and political party, launched rocket fire at Israel after US-Israeli airstrikes killed former Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in Tehran.
The IDF responded with a wave of intense strikes across Lebanon, targeting what it claimed was Hezbollah infrastructure, though many civilians were killed (over 2,290, according to the health ministry), homes destroyed and over 1.2 million people displaced across the country.
During the war, Israel also launched a ground invasion several kilometres into Lebanese territory, with a stated goal to push Hezbollah back from the border in order to stop the ability of the group to fire rockets into communities in northern Israel. Israeli officials now say Israel will stay in control of dozens of towns and villages as part of what it describes as a security buffer zone – but from the ground this looks like a prelude to long term occupation.
The US state department will host new talks on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, an American official told the AFP news agency, after a previous meeting saw the start of a 10-day ceasefire that took effect on 16 April.
Hezbollah is of the view that direct peace talks are a form of national humiliation and are about trying to pressure the group into laying down its weapons. The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, who wants to end the Israeli occupation of southern areas of his country and stop future Israeli attacks, is in favour of engaging in the talks.
No Iranian delegation has departed for Pakistan yet – state TV
Iranian state TV is reporting that no Iranian delegation has yet departed for Pakistan to attend peace talks with the US. It is not clear yet if they will attend the talks today despite pressure from mediators to do so.
The country’s state broadcaster wrote in a post on Telegram that “no delegation from Iran has travelled to Islamabad, neither a primary nor a secondary, neither initial nor follow-up.”
Axios, meanwhile, is reporting that the US vice-president JD Vance is due to leave for Islamabad by Tuesday morning for talks with Iran, a day before the ceasefire expires.
Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy who often acts like a de facto secretary of state, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, are also expected to travel to the Pakistani capital for the talks.
Iran has been stalling because of possible pressure from the Revolutionary Guards on the negotiators to adopt a firmer line and insist there cannot be diplomacy while the US is blockading the strait of Hormuz, according to the Axios report.
Iran holds a deep mistrust of the US as it has been attacked before during previous negotiations.
You can keep up with the latest developments on the EU and from around the continent in our Europe live blog:

Jakub Krupa
Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares has just confirmed that Spain, Slovenia and Ireland have requested a discussion on suspending the EU’s association treaty with Israel at today’s meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers.
He said the process was about the EU’s “credibility” on all other issues, as the bloc is expected to stand “for the same principles” everywhere.
He said that if the EU is “not capable to say today to Israel” that it is expected to respect human rights and international law, and not make war a foreign policy tool, “we are going to lose that credibility.”
“We have to say the same thing that we say to Russia concerning Ukraine, and that we say in other scenarios, and since the last time we brought this same position, things have worsened,” he said.
European Union has to say today very clearly to Israel that that change is needed. That’s not the right path, and that while Israel continues in that path of a permanent perpetual war, we will not be able to [run our relations] in the same way.
He said that if suspending the association treaty in full is unacceptable for some members, the bloc should consider suspending at least the trade element of the deal.
Israel is continuing its attacks on Gaza, where the humanitarian situation remains dire despite a ceasefire.
At least four Palestinian people have been killed by Israeli attacks in the southern and northern parts of the Gaza Strip so far today, Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting.
In its latest update, Gaza’s health ministry said at least 72,560 Palestinian people have been killed and 172,317 others injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October 2023.
At least 784 Palestinian people have been killed in Israeli attacks since a ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, according to the ministry, whose figures the UN generally find reliable.
Most of the people killed have been civilians and the true death toll is likely much higher given the number of people still buried under rubble across the territory.
Aid groups say broken infrastructure and inconsistent electricity have turned untreated sewage into a growing public health risk, and there is a view that the US and Israeli war on Iran has resulted in even higher prices for food and other essentials.
UK News
Ukraine war briefing: Moped ban in Crimea as official says noise is Kyiv plot using youth | Ukraine
Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, has banned riding moped scooters, quad bikes and motorcycles at night-time, saying they sound like drone attacks and suggesting children are doing it deliberately at Kyiv’s behest. Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of the illegally occupied peninsula, said the ban would be in place between 8pm and 6am from Wednesday onwards.
Oleg Kryuchkov, Aksyonov’s adviser, claimed separately on Telegram: “The enemy is recruiting your children for night-time rides … The moped noise hampers the work of defence systems. Their engines sound similar [to drones].” Ukraine has recently intensified drone attacks on Crimea, nominally the home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – targeting the peninsula’s supply routes and triggering a fuel crisis. A limit of 20 litres (5.3 gallons) of fuel per car at petrol stations would continue, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Crimea’s biggest city, Sevastopol, posted on Tuesday. Long lines of motorists queueing in Russian-controlled Crimea, southern Krasnodar region in Russia proper, and elsewhere underscore the sensitive domestic fallout from Ukraine’s strikes.
A Ukrainian drone attack started a fire at the refinery that is the largest fuel supplier to the Moscow region, and two industry sources told Reuters that it had halted operations. The strike on Gazprom Neft’s refinery in south-east Moscow on Tuesday damaged a primary refining facility that accounts for 53% of the plant’s capacity. Emergency services said the fire was put out and did not affected operations – information that was contradicted by Reuters sources. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, said the Moscow refinery was hit from a distance of 500km (310 miles). “This is a just response to Russian strikes – and to the dragging out of a war that must be ended.” Gazprom Neft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US could soon reinstate sanctions on Russian oil shipments, Donald Trump indicated, as leaders at the G7 summit moved on Tuesday to put the war in Ukraine back on top of their agenda. Trump said the sanctions on Russia – partly waived by the US due to the Iran war, ostensibly to help lower oil prices – can go back in place as more oil moves through the strait of Hormuz. “Soon we’ll be able to do that because the oil is now flowing. We’re in a position to do that soon.”
Russia should make peace with Ukraine, the US president said after a “very good” meeting with Zelenskyy. “Look, Russia should make a deal,” Trump told reporters, adding that too many young men were dying on the battlefield on both sides. “I’m gonna do whatever I can.” The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said of Trump’s statement: “I found him to be very cooperative, and I also saw him listening very attentively. And in that respect, once again, it gives me a certain degree of optimism that we here, as Europeans and as Americans, are now doing everything we can, together, to end the war.”
A Ukrainian Su-24M bomber aircraft crashed on a mission in the Khmelnitskyi region in western Ukraine on Tuesday and its two-member crew was killed, the Ukrainian air force said. Ukraine is estimated to have about a dozen of the ageing SU-24 family of warplanes. They are used to launch the Scalp/Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by Britain and France.
Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least eight people on Tuesday, officials said. A drone strike in Nikopol, central Dnipropetrovsk region, killed “a mother and son – a woman of 87 and a 51-year-old man” as well as a third person not immediately identified, said the regional governor, Oleksandr Hanzha. “The enemy targeted people walking along the road with an FPV drone,” Oleksandr Hanzha said on Telegram. He posted a blurred photo of a wheelchair on a road and what appeared to be a body underneath.
Russian shelling of the Donetsk region city of Sloviansk killed three people, while drone strikes on the southern Kherson region killed two people and wounded 16, according to officials. Five Russian attacks on the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia left one person dead, three injured and set ablaze a home and a shopping centre, said Ivan Fedorov, the regional governor.
Repairs to the nearly 1,000-year-old Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery in Kyiv could take around two years, an official said on Tuesday. A Russian attack on the complex set fire to the roof of the Dormition Cathedral within the vast Unesco world heritage site. More than 80% of the 11th-century cathedral’s roof had been damaged, but firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spreading inside the cathedral, Maksym Ostapenko, director general of the complex, was cited as saying by Interfax Ukraine news agency.
A Russian artist critical of Vladimir Putin and the Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been shot and killed in the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska, a prosecutor has said. Local media identified the victim as Robert Kuzovkov, who was also known by his artistic pseudonym, Semyon Skrepetsky. Pjotr Sauer writes that five shots were fired at the victim, including one to the head, in the attack on Monday, according to Marcin Kozak, a spokesperson for the district prosecutor in Lublin. Two Belarusians had been detained but no one had yet been charged. Other Russian exiles suspected Kadyrov was responsible.
The Chinese embassy in London said it had complained to British authorities about sanctions on several entities, including four from China, for allegedly supplying key military equipment to Russia. “China has consistently promoted peace talks and strictly controlled exports of dual-use goods,” an embassy spokesperson said. “Normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Russia should not be disrupted or affected.” Britain’s latest sanctions package, announced on Tuesday, includes cracking down on third-country suppliers of critical military equipment to Russia in China, Thailand and Turkey.
The US extended by 15 days until 1 July a sanctions waiver on Serbia’s Russian-controlled oil company NIS, allowing it to continue importing and processing crude, the firm said. Washington has demanded since early 2025 that Russia’s sanctioned Gazprom Neft sell it stake in NIS, which has been threatened by US financial sanctions that have been repeatedly postponed. Talks on the sale of the Russian-held stake in NIS to Hungary’s MOL energy company have gone on for months, with the US Treasury’s foreign assets control office extending the deadline for their completion until 16 June.
UK News
Streeting would 'be prepared' to trigger leadership contest as early as next week
But the former health secretary told BBC Newsnight he would prefer for the prime minister “to take a decision on his own terms”.
Source link
UK News
Argentina v Algeria: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026
Key events
32 mins: Algeria get on the ball in Argentina’s half for the first time in ages. They work the ball from side to side then look to attack down the right but Almada tracks back effectively.
30 mins: Messi misplaces a pass, then commits a foul trying to win the ball back. He is by no means the passenger we might have expected out of possession.
28 mins: Only when the ball is back with E Martinez do Argentina spread the field. Otherwise it is like a small-sided training exercise. The composure in tight areas and confidence in the collective technical ability is something to behold. The ball is in perpetual motion, then in the final third the single touches become more extravagant and daring, but always effective. Algeria can’t get near it.
26 mins: Messi is now the joint-third highest goalscorer in World Cup history. And he joins Cristiano Ronaldo as the only men to find the back of the net in five different World Cups.
24 mins: Time for a hydration break. That first quarter went according to plan for Argentina – but only just, with a VAR offside check saving them from conceding the opening goal.
22 mins: Messi works space from one of those rapier-like moves but his cross is overhit and Algeria clear. Argentina are hungry in midfield though and soon with the ball back. The North Africans are now defending in a deep low block, scared of pressing for fear the defending champions will just play through them.
21 mins: Argentina return to their game plan of working the ball around slowly and safely across their defence and midfield before darting forward like a fencer with razor sharp incisions.
20 mins: That goal was exactly how Lionel Scaloni had drawn up on the training ground. Technical excellence from back to front and individual brilliance of historic proportions.
18 mins: Sometimes all the hype is actually worth it.
Argentina are looking almost exclusively for vertical passes through the lines with even Messi dropping deep to accept possession. The little genius does just that to start a move with a one-two then ghosts unchecked into space between the lines. A couple of passes later the ball is at his feet with room to turn, which he does, then takes a couple of steps to advance towards the penalty area before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed effort that arcs away from Zidane and into the top right corner. Brilliant.
GOAL! Argentina 1-0 Algeria (Messi, 17)
You know the script.
15 mins: Argentina’s structure during build up play is very compact. They’re looking to ping rondo-style passes in tight areas to unlock Algeria on the half-turn with very little space between the back four and the front three.
13 mins: Argentinian songs rain down from the precipitous stands of Arrowhead Stadium as the team they are cheering on pad their possession stats. Eventually they work the ball through the lines on the left where Almada has an opportunity to do something decisive but he overhits his throughball to Messi when he may have been better off shooting.
11 mins: Algeria with a free-kick on the left. They go short – and like London buses, Messi makes a second tackle of the game to dispossess Hadj Moussa. Even though their goal was ruled out, Algeria have gained confidence from the move and started to spray the ball around nicely in midfield.
VAR! No Goal!
Brilliant from Maza in midfield, recycling possession, keeping the ball moving, teasing between the lines. He spots Chaibi darting between fullback and centre-half, feeds him perfectly, and the finish is glorious, deceiving Martinez at his near post.
But with the crowd adjusting to the shock excitement is quelled by a VAR intervention and the goal is ruled out for a marginal offside against the goalscorer.
GOAL! With their first attack Algeria opening the scoring!
7 mins: This is a rare low tempo contest. Argentina are dominating possession but not looking to force anything.
5 mins: The ball goes out of play on the right as a pass slightly in front of Messi beats the veteran’s quickstep. He has definitely lost a yard or six of pace. You wouldn’t know it during the next phase of play though as he jumps in behind and clips a delightful finish over the onrushing Zidane. However, his delight is cut short as he notices the assistant’s flag raised for offside. It was marginal, but he took off a fraction too early.
3 mins: In possession, Argentina are happy to bide their time and draw Algeria out to them. They do just that, Romero attempts the long ball, Almada picks up the scraps and crosses to La Martinez who heads straight at Zidane. He was offside anyway so it wouldn’t have counted.
2 mins: Argentina are defending in a 4-3-3 shape out of possession with Messi on the right of the front three. And you’ll never believe this – he did some defending – winning the ball back in his own half and feeding back to his keeper.
1 min: An early question to ponder as the action gets under way at walking pace: are Argentina the most heavily tattooed team at the World Cup?
Kick-off!
Lionel Messi’s World Cup campaign is under way…
Argentina’s anthem was sung with smiles and pride, the defending champions looking relaxed and confident. Algeria’s players belted out their own hymn with a steely determination on their faces.
The Fennecs’ kit improves on closer inspection, with some nice touches giving it a retro feel, imbuing the spirit of 1982, the Disgrace of Gijon, and all that.
Out walk the two sides into a stadium populated from near top to bottom in fans wearing Albiceleste colours.
Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane is wearing a protective face mask as he recovers from a severe jaw and chin fracture that he suffered playing for Granada in April.
Argentina will be in their glorious sky blue and white stripes today, complemented by black shorts and trim. Algeria are wearing their change strip of green with white shorts.
A selection of Messi stats for you to digest at as the veteran begins his valedictory World Cup.
-
26 – record number of World Cup matches played
-
6 – record World Cups appeared in (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
-
13 – World Cup goals (joint fifth all-time)
-
38 – age at kick-off (12th oldest at the 2026 World Cup)
-
2 – record number of World Cup golden balls
Today’s officials are from Poland, led by referee Szymon Marciniak, who took charge of the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, and the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
He is a celebrity in Poland, appearing as a contestant on the Polish version of Hell’s Kitchen, and featuring in the documentary series Sędziowie, a behind the scenes look at the life of a referee.
Conditions are glorious in Kansas City. It is around 26C and dropping as golden hour drifts towards sundown.
The venue today is Arrowhead Stadium. This classically American open bowl can hold 76,000 spectators and is known commercially as GEHA Field. During the World Cup it is neutralised to Kansas City Stadium.
The primary tenants are NFL franchise the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of four Super Bowls, including three since 2019.
The venue has twice earned the Guinness World Record for the loudest stadium, first in 2013, then in 2014, during matches featuring the Chiefs.
Lionel Messi has already stamped his authority on the turf.
Daniel Sperry brings us one of those necessary World Cup stories that reminds us the hostile politics of the leaders of a nation does not reflect the hospitality of most its residents.
Jonathan Wilson has spoken to Luciana Alvarengue, the former maths teacher of both Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez, who provides a neat character study of the two World Cup winners.
“You either love maths or you hate it,” Alvarengue says. “There are no grey areas. Julián was very good at maths. He had a very good way of working in the classroom in general. Enzo was a little more difficult to deal with. There are days when you would say he was more focused on a game, on whether he was going to be selected or not.
“When he came into the classroom, Enzo liked to make sounds, banging his pencil case on the table. I remember entering the classroom, and on the left side was Enzo’s place, and he was with his back against the wall, his feet on the other bench, and there were days when he was like: ‘Today I’m going to stay like this.’ Julián was calmer, much more respectful.
22 players will walk out into the Kansas City evening with an equal chance of influencing this contest but the eyes of the world will be trained squarely on the oldest and shortest of them.
Your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a Zidane in goal for the Fennecs, Luca Zidane, son of the French World Cup legend.
Algeria XI
Vladimir Petkovic has opted for a 5-2-3 formation in a bid to stiffen his side’s defence. Star man Riyad Mahrez starts on the bench.
23 Zidane; 17 Belghali, 2 Mandi, 21 Bensebaini, 5 Belaid 15 Ait-Nouri; 19 Bentaleb, 14 Boudaoui; 22 Maza, 11 Hadj Moussa, 9 Gouiri.
Argentina XI
Lionel Scaloni has left in-demand Julian Alvarez on the bench for Argentina’s opening match. Cristian Romero is fit to start after fleeing Tottenham’s relegation battle.
23 E Martinez; 4 Montiel, 13 Romero, 6 Li Martinez, 25 Medina; 7 De Paul, 24 Fernandez, 20 Mac Allister; 10 Messi, 16 Almada, 22 La Martinez.
What about Algeria? Even Maher Mezahi isn’t sure what to expect.
Algeria are one of this World Cup’s great unknowns. On paper, this team has an impressive recent record: a friendly victory over the Netherlands made it 21 wins, four draws and three defeats from 28 matches under Vladimir Petkovic, with 67 goals scored. The problem is that it has been achieved against generally poor-quality opposition. Algeria’s qualifying campaign was a breeze, with Guinea and Mozambique – both considered Pot C sides on the continent – being their sternest tests.
We can be pretty sure Petkovic will lean on his players’ technical quality, play attractive football, but leave gaps in behind the defence. What we don’t know is which players will be called upon for half the starting positions.
Ok, turning our attention now to Argentina v Algeria, let’s get a view on the defending champions from the experts at Olé.
The holders arrive at the World Cup with a squad that knows each other almost by heart but perhaps not with its players in peak physical condition – several had injury set-backs at the end of a very demanding season with their clubs. If everyone is fit, the coach will field many of the same players who were crowned champions in Qatar, with the exception of Ángel Di María, who no longer plays for the national team.
Lionel Scaloni’s plan is to keep the 4-3-3 formation, with a solid defence featuring two centre-backs and two attacking full-backs, plus dynamic midfielders with excellent passing. Lionel Messi leads the charge once more, supported by the formidable Julián Alvarez and Thiago Almada, who could be the breakout star. Almost two thirds of the 2022 squad remains, but it now also includes some promising young players such as Nico Paz, who has been in excellent form at Como. They will also have established stars like Lautaro Martínez, who aims to be in top condition for this World Cup: something he couldn’t achieve in Qatar.
Norway have delivered on their pre-tournament dark horse status with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Iraq to join France at the top of Group I. There was a brace for Erling Haaland, putting the Manchester City goal machine alongside Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.
In the latest who-cares-the-rapture-is-coming-soon-anyway news Johnny Child continues to turn left for global warming.
As a result of the huge distances the New Weather Institute has described this World Cup as “the most polluting event ever”, estimating that it will generate about 9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Air travel is responsible for about 7.7 million tons of that carbon estimate, more than four times that of the average for World Cups held from 2010 to 2022.
In today’s opening match France overcame a disjointed first half to run out comfortable 3-1 winners over Senegal. Les Bleus didn’t look at their best for big chunks but the class of Olise, Mbappé, Doue, and Barcola proved irresistible.
Mbappé now has 14 goals in 15 World Cup matches, drawing him alongside Gerd Muller on the all-time standings, behind only Ronaldo and Miroslav Klose. He will surely leave North America as the most prolific goalscorer in finals history.
Max and the gang celebrate Cape Verde on the latest World Cup Daily pod.
In case you missed it, international manager par excellence Hervé Renard will go to the ball after all. He of the fitted white dress shirt qualified with Saudi Arabia, only to lose his job on the eve of the tournament. The Frenchman has answered Tunisia’s SOS and will replace Sabri Lamouchi in the dugout for the remaineder of the tournament after the former Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City boss was sacked following a grisly opening defeat to Sweden.
Michael Butler compiled the latest Football Daily roundup, featuring Pico Lopes, Marcelo Bielsa, and the late Roy Hattersley.
Let’s ease into the third fixture of matchday six by peering into the mind of David Squires.
Preamble

Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of match 19 of the 2026 World Cup between Argentina and Algeria. Kick-off in this Group J clash at Kansas City Stadium is 8pm local time (9pm EDT/2am BST/11am AEST).
The arrival of the defending champions into a tournament always adds a frisson of excitement to proceedings and that is the case today as Argentina get their campaign underway. Of course the presence of la Albiceleste also means that of captain, Lionel Messi, who alone has the heft of a participating nation in these parts since his move to MLS.
2022 was Messi’s crowing glory, the triumph that cemented his status among the very greatest in football history. He is not without a chance of adding a second winner’s medal to his collection in North America, but he faces a tougher task this time around as he and his team battle the unvanquishable opponent: time.
Algeria offer a stiff early test of an ageing team’s title defence. Ranked 28th in the world they are coached by the canny Vladimir Petkovic and captained by serial winner Riyad Mahrez. They warmed up for the World Cup by beating the Netherlands in Rotterdam and thrashing Argentina’s northern neighbours Bolivia 4-0.
I’ll be back shortly with team news and a round-up of all the matchday action so far. In the meantime you can keep an eye on Iraq v Norway and email any thoughts about the tournament so far to jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoOxfordshire bridge closure comes as management ‘weaknesses’ found
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoWhat happens to Halifax customers if Lloyds makes changes?
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoActor steps down from major role in new Harry Potter series
-
UK News4 weeks agoBurnham seeks to calm markets by committing to fiscal rules
-
UK News4 weeks agoGlass deposit scheme 'risks major problems' for retail industry
-
UK News4 weeks agoEx-minister Shapps quits aerospace firm over rule concerns
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoRyan Bridge speaks of London arrest after Oxford incident
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoOxfordshire man accused of sexual offences 40 years ago
