World Cup 2026 Group J guide: Favourites Argentina begin title defence as Jordan debut | OneFootball

Reigning champions Argentina begin their World Cup title defence with a favourable draw in Group J, where they are joined by Algeria, Austria and tournament debutants Jordan.

Lionel Messi - who was hit with a late injury scare at the worst possible time - returns for his sixth World Cup and remains the key figure in Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina side, who are among the favourites to triumph in North America this summer and join Italy and Germany as four-time winners.

Austria and Algeria are three places apart in the Fifa rankings and provide an intriguing battle for the second qualifying spot from this group, while minnows Jordan, taking part for the first time, will be hopeful they can spring a surprise or two.

This year’s expanded World Cup of 48 teams means eight of the 12 third place finishers will qualify for the next round, so it really is all to play for.

(all times BST)

16 June, 2am: Argentina vs Algeria — Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City

16 June, 5am: Austria vs Jordan — Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco

22 June, 6pm: Argentina vs Austria — AT&T Stadium, Dallas

22 June, 4am: Jordan vs Algeria — Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco

27 June, 3am: Algeria vs Austria — Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City

27 June, 3am: Jordan vs Argentina — AT&T Stadium, Dallas

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In 2022, led by Lionel Messi, Argentina ended a 36-year wait for their third World Cup trophy (Getty)

Argentina

Ranked second in the world, Argentina arrive in the US once again among the favourites to lift the trophy and become the first nation to defend their title since Brazil in 1962. The three-time winners have a talented squad with 17 of the 2022 champions returning, such as Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, while their experience will be complemented by a raft of talented youngsters coming through.

They qualified for the World Cup in top spot from South American qualifying, with a goal difference of 21 and nine-point advantage over second-placed Ecuador. Coach Lionel Scaloni is not wedded to a specific formation but has given a strong midfield licence to dictate play, while the side’s many stars means there are multiple creative outlets.

Goalkeepers: Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (River Plate), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani lo Celso (Real Betis), Ezequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)

Forwards: Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

Coach: Lionel Scaloni

Star player – Lionel Messi, Inter Miami: It hardly needs to be said. Despite his advanced years, the 38-year-old remains the focal point and talisman for this side, having finished as top scorer in South American qualifying for the tournament with eight goals. He may not be as quick as he once was but his class remains the same.

Breakout talent – Franco Mastantuono, Real Madrid: The 18-year-old winger has become a force to be reckoned with at the Spanish giants, becoming their youngest player to appear in the Champions League, and has matched that for his national side, becoming the youngest player to ever feature for the senior squad aged 17 years, 9 months and 22 days in 2025.

Fifa ranking: 3

Odds to win the World Cup: 11/2, latest odds at The Independent via Oddsjam.

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Messi remains the integral cog in the Argentina team (Reuters)

Algeria arrive in the US having enjoyed a confidence boost at the Africa Cup of Nations, where they reached the quarter-finals, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2014 as winners of CAF Group G. They reached the round of 16 in their last appearance at the tournament so are certainly a dark horse to look out for in this group, but their build-up to the tournament has been patchy - a friendly win over the Netherlands was a great warm-up, but their qualifying was straightforward, with the likes of Guinea and Mozambique not hugely threatening.

Vladimir Petkovic has been known to experiment with different formations, with the hallmark of each being an intense press and fluid style of play, dominating possession, so it will be intriguing to see how they come up against similarly high-pressing sides like Austria, and how they cope against Jordan’s counter-attackers.

Goalkeepers: Oussama ​Benbot (USM Alger), Melvin Masstil (Stade Nyonnaise), Luca Zidane (Granada)

Defenders: Achraf Abada (USM Alger), Rayan Ait-Nouri (Manchester City), Zinedine Belaid (JS Kabylie), Rafik ⁠Belghali (Verona), Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund), Samir Chergui (Paris FC), Jaouen Hadjam (Young Boys Bern), Aissa ⁠Mandi (Lille), Mohamed Amine Tougai (Esperance)

Midfielders: Houssem Aouar (Al Ittihad), Nabil Bentaleb (Lille), Hicham Boudaoui (Nice), Fares Chaibi (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen), Yassine ‌Titraoui (Charleroi), Ramiz Zerrouki (Twente)

Forwards: Mohamed Amine Amoura (Wolfsburg), Nadir Benbouali (Gyori ETO), ‌Adil Boulbina (Al Duhail), Fares Ghedjemis (Frosinone), Amine Gouiri (Marseille), Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli), Anis Hadj Moussa (Feyenoord)

Coach: Vladimir Petkovic

Star player – Riyadh Mahrez, Al-Ahli: At 35 former Manchester City star Mahrez may not be quite in his prime - he no longer plays for the full 90 - but he remains a key force in this side. The team captain has more than 100 international caps and is an experienced presence in the heart of the team, a role model for the youngsters coming through, as well as a playmaker still capable of moments of magic. Now playing for Saudi side Al-Ahli he scored four goals and registered eight assists in 27 matches this season.

Breakout talent – Ibrahim Maza, Bayer Leverkusen: 20-year-old Maza impressed at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and could be set for a career-making performance at this World Cup. An attacking midfielder for Leverkusen, he has been compared to Florian Wirtz, and his maturity and intelligence on and off the ball, plus his physical prowess - particularly in withstanding challenges - make him a major talent to watch.

Fifa ranking: 29

Odds to win the World Cup: 300/1

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Riyadh Mahrez can no longer play for as long as he used to but he remains the beating heart of this Algeria side (Getty)

Austria

Former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has been credited with restoring enthusiasm in this Austrian side with a more attacking, free-flowing style of football, with the team qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years under his tutelage.

A squad of workhorses rather than top-level talents, it’s a cohesive and well-disciplined team, with a strong identity and philosophy. They were known for their high-pressing, intense counter-attacking style at Euro 2024 and topped a group which included France and the Netherlands, so are certainly hot favourites to replicate that this summer and progress from Group J alongside Argentina.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Patrick Pentz (Brondby ), Alexander Schlager (RB Salzburg), Florian Wiegele (Viktoria Plzen)

Defenders: David Affengruber (Elche), ​David Alaba (Real Madrid), Kevin Danso (Tottenham Hotspur), Marco Friedl (Werder Bremen), Philipp ‌Lienhart (Freiburg), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz), ⁠Stefan Posch (Mainz), Alexander Prass (Hoffenheim), Michael Svoboda (Venezia)

Midfielders: Carney Chukwuemeka (Borussia Dortmund), Florian Grillitsch (Braga), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich), Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Xaver Schlager (RB Leipzig), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), Alessandro Schopf (Wolfsberger), Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig), Paul Wanner (PSV Eindhoven), Patrick Wimmer (Wolfsburg)

Forwards: Marko Arnautovic (Crvena Zvezda), Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg), Sasa Kalajdzic (LASK)

Coach: Ralf Rangnick

Star player – Konrad Laimer, Bayern Munich: The obvious answer to this would have been RB Leipzig’s Christoph Baumgartner, but the 26-year-old has been ruled out of the tournament with a thigh injury and will be an enormous miss for the side. Laimer may not be as glamorous a name but he is a crucial presence in midfield both for the international side and for Bayern Munich, with his pace and dogged defensive displays, as well as his work rate, set to be important factors, while he can also create chances - scoring three goals and registering nine assists in the Bundesliga this season.

Breakout talent – Paul Wanner, PSV: Austria’s side is full of versatile players but few star names, but that could change in the future with Wanner regarded as one of the sport’s brightest young talents. The 20-year-old opted to represent Austria, his mother’s home country, over Germany, his father’s, earlier this year. He came up through Bayern’s academy and has made a name for himself for his pace and accuracy, with a vicious left foot and eye for a superb pass his major strengths.

Fifa ranking: 23

Odds to win the World Cup: 150/1

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Bayern Munich's Konrad Laimer is a key presence due to his versatility and work rate all over the pitch (Reuters)

Jordan

Jordan have been handed a difficult task for their very first experience of the World Cup, with the likes of Argentina in this group, but the underdogs can take heart from neighbours Saudi Arabia stunning Messi’s side 2-1 in the group stage of the Qatar 2022 tournament. They have qualified for the first time after nine unsuccessful attempts, finishing second in Group B in the third round.

Injuries to key players including Yazan Al Naimat and Adham Al Qurashi have dented their hopes of an upset but they still have potent attacking talent in Ali Olwan and Mousa Al-Tamari, who will lead the line, and can hurt teams on the break through quick transitions.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Yazeed Abulaila (Al Hussein), Abdullah Al-Fakhouri (Al Wehdat), Noor Bani Attiah (Al Faisaly)

Defenders: Abdallah Nasib (Al Zawraa), Ehsan Haddad (Al Hussein), Saed Al-Rosan (Al Hussein), Saleem Obaid (Al Hussein), Yazan Al-Arab (FC Seoul), Mohammad Abualnadi (Selangor), Husam Abu Dahab (Al Faisaly), Anas Banawi (Al Faisaly), Mohannad Abu Taha (Al Quwa Al Jawiya), Mohammad Abu Hasheesh (Al Karma), Mohammad Abu Ghosh (Shabah Alordon).

Midfielders: Noor Al Rawabdeh (Selangor), Nizar Al Rashdan (Qatar), Ibrahim Saadeh (Al Karma), Rajaei Ayed (Al Hussein), Mahmoud Al-Mardi (Al Hussein), Amer Jamous (Al Zawraa), Mohammad Al-Dawoud (Al Wehdat)

Forwards: Mousa Al-Tamari (Rennes), Odeh Al-Fakhouri (Pyramids), Mohammad Abu Zrayq (Raja Casablanca), Ali Azaizeh (Al Shabab), Ali Olwan (Al Sailiya)

Coach: Jamal Sellami

Star player – Mousa Al-Tamari, Rennes: Winger Al-Tamari is the squad’s primary creative outlet and has enjoyed an impressive season with French club Rennes, with a sharply angled left-footed volley in a defeat against Lyon in March and a curling long-range effort against Chantilly in the Coupe de France indicative of the magic the 28-year-old can produce in and out of the box. He has 24 goals in 91 caps for the international side and - fittingly for this World Cup group - is sometimes known as the ‘Jordanian Messi’.

Breakout talent – Mohannad Abu Taha, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya: At 23, Mohannad Abu Taha, who plays in the Iraq Stars League, is one of the youngest players in the squad, and provides energy and versatility, as he can play either as a winger or a left-back. He also forms another creative outlet for this Jordanian side on the break, with his left foot a potent weapon - he hit the crossbar from 30 yards out in a pre-World Cup friendly with Colombia.

Fifa ranking: 63

Odds to win the World Cup: 2500/1

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Mousa Al-Tamari is Jordan's key player (Getty)

It would take an almighty upset for Argentina to not top this group but the reigning champions do tend to start World Cup group stages slowly, so there could be a big win in store for one of these other three teams. Nonetheless, Argentina should qualify top with ease, with Austria pipping Algeria to second place, and first-timers Jordan finishing last.