World Cup 2026 Group J: Argentina · Algeria · Austria · Jordan

Group J asks whether Lionel Messi, at 39 in 2026, can close the book on international football by winning back-to-back World Cups with Argentina. The Albiceleste arrive as defending champions and current FIFA #1, a rare alignment of title and ranking going into a tournament. Lionel Scaloni has kept the 2022 core together — Emiliano Martínez, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo De Paul — while integrating Julián Álvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Enzo Fernández into roles of genuine authority. They will start every match as favorites in this draw.

Algeria's 2014 Round of 16 run remains the high-water mark for the current generation; they arrive off a strong 2023 AFCON quarter-final and a fresh crop of Ligue 1 attacking talent. Austria carry David Alaba's final World Cup cycle and a Ralf Rangnick coaching system built to press precisely the kind of possession football Argentina prefer. Jordan are making their first-ever World Cup appearance, a byproduct of the expanded format, but their run to the 2024 Asian Cup final proved they can compete against anyone on a given night.

The favorites-level of this group is whether Argentina stumble on a tired legs match or whether Jordan can put 60 minutes together at SoFi or Azteca. If Messi plays 90 minutes in every group match, the answer to both is probably no.