Group J: Argentina's Title Defence with Messi and Challengers

Anyone predicting a serene stroll for Argentina in Group J would do well to rewind to 2022. The eventual champions were stunned by Saudi Arabia in one of the World Cup’s greatest upsets, having led at half-time. They then needed second-half goals to break open both Mexico and Poland. Nothing is guaranteed, not even for Lionel Messi.

This time, the backdrop is different but the warning is the same. Jordan arrive as debutants, Austria as one of Europe’s most awkward risers, and Algeria as a returning force with unfinished business. Group J is built for a heavyweight, but it is littered with traps.

At the centre of it all stands Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, captain of Argentina and a man entering what should be his final World Cup. He will turn 39 during the tournament. Every touch will feel like part of a farewell tour. Every Argentina game will be a global event.

Can the newcomers produce a shock to rival Saudi Arabia’s seismic win? Or does this group become the stage on which Argentina begin a historic title defence?

Algeria: Mahrez leads a dangerous return

Twelve years after taking Germany to extra time in the last 16 at Brazil 2014, Algeria are back on the biggest stage, desperate to show that run was no one-off.

They return under Vladimir Petkovic, the meticulous coach who guided Switzerland to the 2018/19 Nations League finals and the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, eliminating Turkiye and France before losing on penalties to Spain. He knows how to organise a team for tournament football and how to unsettle giants.

Algeria topped CAF Group G in qualifying, powered by the prolific Mohamed Amoura. His 10 goals were seven more than any other player in their section, including a hat-trick at home to Mozambique. The Wolfsburg forward began his Bundesliga campaign with eight goals in 19 league games before enduring an 11-match drought, a reminder that he is still learning to ride the waves of form at the highest level.

There is pedigree around him. Houssem Aouar, once capped by France and previously of Roma and Lyon, offers craft in midfield. Amine Gouiri, back from injury, sharpened his edge with two goals in a 7-0 friendly demolition of Guatemala in Genoa in March. Nabil Bentaleb, now at Lille after his Premier League days with Tottenham, adds experience and bite.

At the back, Luca Zidane brings a famous surname and his own resilience, having recovered from a broken jaw and chin with Granada to reach his first World Cup. Out wide, Anis Hadj Moussa comes off a superb season at Feyenoord, where he produced 14 goals and seven assists, the sort of end product that changes tight group games.

Rayan Ait-Nouri arrives from Manchester City with medals but mixed minutes. He was unused in both the FA Cup and EFL Cup finals, and an ankle injury plus AFCON duty pushed him to the fringes. Pep Guardiola still trusted him with a run of seven consecutive starts between February and March, a reminder of his quality when fit and in rhythm.

Star man: Riyad Mahrez, still the reference point

Riyad Mahrez remains the heartbeat. Now at Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, the 35-year-old needs eight goals to become Algeria’s all-time leading scorer. His record already glows: 38 goals, 43 assists, 113 caps, and a trophy cabinet that stretches from Leicester City’s miracle Premier League title in 2016 to the treble with Manchester City in 2023.

He was central to Algeria’s second AFCON crown in 2019 and struck three times in two games as they cruised through the 2025 AFCON group stage with a perfect record. When Algeria need calm, invention or a moment of arrogance on the ball, they still look to Mahrez.

Prediction: Algeria to edge through

The schedule points to a decisive final group game against Austria. Both nations will back themselves to beat Jordan. With eight third-placed teams advancing, Algeria have more than one route to the knockouts, but Petkovic’s side look well equipped to claim an automatic place. A second progression to the last 16, in their fifth World Cup, is a realistic target.

Argentina: A champion’s defence built around Messi

No team has retained the World Cup since Brazil in 1962. Argentina arrive in North America intent on rewriting that line of history.

Lionel Scaloni has already redrawn Argentina’s modern story. Copa America 2021. World Cup 2022. Copa America 2024. He is the first Argentina coach to win both the Copa America and the World Cup, the man who ended a 36-year wait for a third star on the shirt. Now he chases a fourth.

The core from Qatar remains. Emiliano Martinez still wears the gloves, his penalty heroics and late saves from 2022 etched into tournament folklore. In front of him, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez anchor a defence that blends aggression with control.

The midfield looks like a coach’s dream: Rodrigo De Paul’s relentless energy and protection, Alexis Mac Allister’s intelligence and timing, Enzo Fernandez’s range and rhythm. As a trio, they rank among the most complete units heading to this World Cup.

Up front, Scaloni can shuffle his deck. Julian Alvarez, as tactically flexible as any forward in the game, can operate wide, centrally or off a main striker. Lautaro Martinez remains the pure No 9, the reference point for crosses and combinations.

There are changes. Angel Di Maria has stepped away from international football, taking with him a catalogue of iconic moments. Franco Mastantuono, the teenage Real Madrid midfielder heavily watched during qualifying, is the standout omission from the squad.

The only genuine scare before the tournament has been Messi’s fitness. A hamstring problem with Inter Miami in May raised alarms, but Scaloni’s early assessment was calm, and the expectation is that Messi will be ready for the opener against Algeria in Kansas City.

Star man: Messi, one last World Cup

Messi’s presence in North America goes beyond sport. It is a cultural event.

At 38, he arrives for a record sixth World Cup. No one seriously expects a seventh. He topped CONMEBOL qualifying with eight goals and still stands as Argentina’s most decisive player. Everything in this team is built to enhance his influence and protect his legs.

He will not run as much as he once did. He does not need to. The game bends towards him when the ball finds his left foot.

Prediction: Argentina to take control of Group J

This group is Argentina’s to command. The real examination of their title defence will come later, but any slip in these early games would send a shudder through the tournament. They know that feeling all too well.

Austria: Rangnick’s pressing machine

After 28 years away, Austria return to the World Cup as one of the dark horses of the field, a side nobody will enjoy facing.

Ralf Rangnick is the architect. Since taking over, he has reshaped the national setup around his trademark: high pressing, intensity, structure. The style is clear, the buy-in total.

Austria’s run at Euro 2024 signalled their rise. They reached the last 16 after finishing above France and the Netherlands in their group, a statement that echoed into World Cup qualifying. The squad travelling to North America might be the most complete Austria have assembled since their third-place finish in 1954.

The backbone of the team is forged in the Bundesliga. Fourteen of the 26 players are based in Germany, many of them products of the Red Bull network Rangnick himself helped design. At RB Leipzig, Christoph Baumgartner, Xaver Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald give him a ready-made midfield core that already understands his demands.

Marcel Sabitzer brings 95 caps and Champions League experience from Borussia Dortmund. Konrad Laimer, a starter at Bayern Munich, provides tireless running and tactical discipline in wide midfield zones.

David Alaba captains the side at 33, the leader and reference point in defence or midfield. At the other end of the age scale, Carney Chukwuemeka has committed his international future to Austria over England, while 20-year-old Paul Wanner of PSV Eindhoven is another young talent who could use this stage to announce himself.

Then there is Marko Arnautovic. At 36, Austria’s record scorer with 47 goals in 132 caps serves as vice-captain and emotional barometer. He knows this may be his last dance at a major tournament.

Star man: Christoph Baumgartner in his prime

Baumgartner arrives at this World Cup in the form of his life.

The RB Leipzig midfielder produced 13 goals and 10 assists in the Bundesliga, numbers that place him among the most dangerous central players in Germany. His movement between the lines, late bursts into the box and calm finishing give Austria a genuine scoring threat from midfield.

Opponents in Group J cannot simply focus on the striker. Baumgartner will punish space.

Prediction: Austria to chase Argentina

Rangnick’s structure, the Bundesliga-hardened spine and a clear identity make Austria strong contenders for a top-two finish. The opener against Jordan in Santa Clara offers a launchpad. The closing clash with Algeria could decide whether they walk the direct route into the knockouts or have to sweat on third-place mathematics.

Jordan: A first step into the unknown

For Jordan, every moment in Group J will be historic. This is their first World Cup, earned the hard way.

They finished second in their AFC third-round group, behind South Korea but ahead of Iraq, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait. No one can argue they have not earned their ticket.

Jamal Sellami, a Moroccan coach with a strong record in his home league and a continental title with Morocco’s local-national team at the 2018 African Nations Championship, leads them. He has spoken openly about wanting to follow the path of his compatriots in Qatar, where Morocco became the first African and Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.

Jordan bring cohesion. Thirteen of the 26 players are based in the domestic league, a core that knows each other’s movements and habits. At tournaments where some sides take weeks to click, that familiarity can be a weapon.

There is pain too. Yazan Al-Naimat, a key forward, misses out after suffering an ACL injury in December. His absence strips Jordan of a crucial outlet.

Captain Ehsan Haddad, of Al-Hussein, marshals the backline. Yazan Al-Arab, one of the few players based outside the Middle East, adds experience from FC Seoul in South Korea.

Star man: Mousa Al-Tamari, Jordan’s leading light

All eyes, all hopes, rest on Mousa Al-Tamari.

The Rennes forward is widely regarded as the best player Jordan have ever produced. He became the first Jordanian to play in Ligue 1 and carries the nickname “Jordanian Messi” at home, a measure of the expectations he shoulders.

If Jordan are to carve out a famous upset in this group, it is likely to begin with Al-Tamari beating a man, slipping a pass, or finishing a rare chance with cold precision.

Prediction: Jordan to fight, and to learn

The opener against Austria in Santa Clara is their clearest opportunity. A point there would echo far beyond the group. Any result against Algeria would be historic.

And then comes Argentina at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the final group game and the biggest night Jordanian football has ever known, regardless of what the table says by then. How many teams ever get to measure themselves against the world champions and Messi on such a stage?

Group J belongs, on paper, to Argentina. But World Cups are not won on paper, and this quartet carries enough storylines, scars and ambition to turn a straightforward script into something far more volatile. The champions know what an early shock feels like. The question is: who here is ready to deliver it?