Argentina goalie Emiliano Martinez completes training before World Cup opener

June 12 (UPI) -- Recently injured Goalie Emiliano Martinez completed a full training session, clearing his path to play in Argentina's opener against Algeria at the 2026 World Cup.

Martinez trained with both gloves while with Argentina on Thursday at the Sporting KC Training Centre in Kansas City. He did not play in Argentina's friendlies against Honduras or Iceland.

Martinez broke a bone in the ring finger in his right hand while warming up for Aston Villa's 3-0 win over Freiburg in the May 20 Europa League final. He wore a splint and trained with one glove during his recovery process, but still played.

Geronimo Rulli and Juan Musso are the other goalies on the Argentina roster. Martinez, 33, received Best Goalkeeper accolades when Argentina won the 2022 World Cup.

The top-ranked Argentines, who are among the Top 5 favorites at this year's tournament, will meet the No. 28 Algerians at 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. The matchup will air on Fox and Telemundo and stream on Fox One.

Argentina will take on No. 25 Austria in their second Group J match June 22 in Arlington, Texas. They will battle Jordan in their group stage finale June 27 on the same field at Dallas Stadium. The winner of the group will take on the second-place finisher from Group H in the first stage of the knockout rounds -- the Round of 32.

Argentina could meet Cristiano Ronaldo and No. 5 Portugal in the quarterfinals if both teams win their groups and win their first two knockout stage matches.

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 9:14 AM.