2026 World Cup: Jordan vs Argentina, La Albiceleste Complete Perfect Start

JAKARTA - Argentina will try to improve their pace in the 2026 World Cup group stage when they face Jordan in the last Group J match at the AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Sunday, June 28 at 09.00 WIB. This match brings together the defending champion and the FIFA ranking leader with a World Cup debutant who has been confirmed to be eliminated.

La Albiceleste came with the status of group champions after collecting six points from two matches. The 3-0 victory over Algeria and 2-0 over Austria ensured Lionel Scaloni's team advanced to the last 32 as the leader of the standings without relying on the results of the last match.

On the other hand, Jordan had to accept the fact that they were eliminated earlier in their debut appearance in the World Cup final round. The 1-3 defeat against Austria and 1-2 against Algeria made the team under Jamal Sellami no longer have a chance to qualify even though they still have one match left.

Even though the position of the two teams is relatively clear, this match is still interesting because it brings together one of the strong candidates for the champion with a team that wants to close their historic tournament with a positive result. For Argentina, maintaining momentum ahead of the knockout phase is the main priority. While for Jordan, facing the world champion is an opportunity to show their football quality on the biggest stage.

Argentina came to North America with the mission of defending the title won in Qatar four years ago. If they manage to become champions again, they will be the first country since Brazil in 1962 to be able to defend the World Cup trophy in a row.

Argentina's journey so far shows that they are still one of the most complete teams in the tournament. In the last nine matches in all competitions, they recorded nine consecutive victories, eight times without a goal, and only conceded one goal.

Messi Still a Contender

The main highlight is back to Lionel Messi. The captain of Argentina who just celebrated his 39th birthday was extraordinary throughout the tournament by scoring all of Argentina's goals so far.

After scoring a hat-trick against Algeria, Messi again contributed two goals to the Austrian goal. The goal made him collect 18 goals in the World Cup final round and surpassed Miroslav Klose's record as the top scorer in the history of the competition.

Messi also became the first player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches. If he scores again against Jordan, he will set a new record with seven consecutive goals in the event.

However, Scaloni gave a signal of a possible massive rotation because Argentina had already secured the group champion position.

"Our idea is to give the opportunity to most of the players. They deserve it and if the situation of the match allows it, we will do it," Scaloni said ahead of the match.

The statement opens up the opportunity for a number of reserve players to get more playing time. Julian Alvarez, who has just recovered from an ankle injury, has the opportunity to be the starter. Nico Paz, Thiago Almada, to Exequiel Palacios can also get the opportunity to appear from the first minute.

Argentina also likely won't take any risks with Cristian Romero who suffered a knee problem against Austria. Nicolas Otamendi and Lisandro Martinez are expected to be the center back duo.

On the other side, Jordan came without a burden. The team nicknamed Al-Nashama failed to score points, but they managed to score goals in the first two matches, a record that shows the courage to play offensively even though they face a stronger opponent.

Ali Olwan is the player who has received the most attention. The 26-year-old striker scored Jordan's first goal in World Cup history against Austria and now needs only one more goal to equal the national team's record for most goals scored by Hamza Al-Dardour with 31 goals.

Coach Jamal Sellami stressed that his team wants to leave a positive impression before returning from the tournament.

"Now for us, facing Argentina is an opportunity. An opportunity to perform well and leave a decent mark for Jordanian football," said Sellami.

Heavy Challenge for World Cup Debutants

Statistically, this match looks lopsided. Argentina is ranked first in the world, while Jordan is in 68th place in FIFA before the tournament takes place.

This will also be the first meeting in history between the two countries.

Opta gives an absolute advantage to Argentina. From the 25,000 simulations conducted by their supercomputer, Argentina won the match in 78.1 percent of simulations. The draw was recorded at 13.2 percent, while Jordan's chances of winning were only 8.7 percent.

The performance of the two teams also shows a considerable gap in quality. Argentina won the last five games in a row with an average of 2.7 goals per game and only conceded 0.2 goals.

On the other hand, Jordan has never won in the last six matches in all competitions. They also have problems in the defense sector, especially in facing dead balls and aerial duels.

However, Argentina still has reason to be cautious. They certainly still remember the shocking 1-2 defeat from Saudi Arabia in the 2022 World Cup group stage. The result is a reminder that Asian teams are capable of creating surprises when opponents lose focus.

For Scaloni, the biggest challenge may not be just winning, but maintaining the physical condition of the core players ahead of the knockout phase. With an increasingly tight schedule, avoiding injuries will be just as important as maintaining the winning streak.

Prediction

Argentina was superior in almost all aspects. The individual quality of the players, the experience of the tournament, the depth of the squad, the organization of the game, to the effectiveness of the attack put them several levels above Jordan.

Argentina's main strength lies in tactical flexibility and the ability to control the game. Even if Messi is rested, they still have players like Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Thiago Almada, to Nico Gonzalez who are able to make the difference.

Jordan has an advantage in fighting spirit and quick transitions through Mousa Al-Taamari and Ali Olwan. However, their weaknesses are clearly visible in the defense sector, especially when facing pressure and dead ball situations.

The rotation that Scaloni carried out may make Argentina not appear as aggressive as usual, but the quality of their reserve squad is still far above their opponents.

If they are able to maintain concentration and effectiveness in front of the goal, Argentina is expected to close the group stage with a comfortable victory.

Prediction : Jordan 0-3 Argentina.

Predicted Starting XI

Jordan

Yazeed Abulaila; Yazan Al-Arab, Abdallah Nasib, Husam Abu Dahab; Ihsan Haddad, Nizar Al-Rashdan, Noor Al-Rawabdeh, Mohannad Abu Taha; Mousa Al-Taamari, Mahmoud Al-Mardi; Ali Olwan.

Argentina

Emiliano Martinez; Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Exequiel Palacios, Leandro Paredes, Thiago Almada; Nico Gonzalez, Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi.

Match Schedule

2026 World Cup Group J

Jordan vs Argentina

AT&T Stadium, Dallas

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Kick-off 09.00 WIB