Argentina vs Iceland – Lineups, Timeline & Match Stats

Argentina wrapped up their FIFA World Cup 2026 preparations with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Iceland in an international friendly played at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alabama, USA. The reigning world champions controlled the match and extended their unbeaten run with another convincing performance.

Match Result

Argentina 3-0 Iceland
📍 Jordan-Hare Stadium, Alabama, United States

Starting Lineups

Argentina

• Gerónimo Rulli
• Agustín Giay
• Nicolás Otamendi (C)
• Lisandro Martínez
• Facundo Medina
• Giuliano Simeone
• Giovani Lo Celso
• Exequiel Palacios
• Valentín Barco
• Nico Paz
• López

Iceland

• Elias Rafn Ólafsson
• Victor Pálsson
• Daníel Grétarsson
• Hörður Magnússon
• Logi Tómasson
• Mikael Ellertsson
• Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson
• Andri Baldursson
• Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson
• Hákon Arnar Haraldsson
• Orri Óskarsson (C)

Match Timeline

8′ – Goal! Argentina 1-0 Iceland
Valentín Barco opened the scoring with a superb long-range strike to give Argentina an early lead.

Half-Time
Argentina 1-0 Iceland. The South Americans dominated possession and created the better chances.

72′ – Goal! Argentina 2-0 Iceland
Lionel Messi came off the bench, won a penalty through Lautaro Martínez, and converted it himself to double Argentina’s advantage.

86′ – Goal! Argentina 3-0 Iceland
Thiago Almada finished off a move created by Rodrigo De Paul to seal the victory.

Full-Time
Argentina 3-0 Iceland.

Match Stats

Argentina controlled the game throughout, creating the majority of the chances and limiting Iceland’s opportunities. Messi’s second-half appearance delighted fans as he scored shortly after entering the match.

Head-to-Head (H2H)

The victory gives Argentina its first win over Iceland after the memorable 1-1 draw between the two nations at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.