FIFA World Cup 2026, Group J preview: Defenders Argentina prepare for Lionel Messi’s farewell

The stage for a perfect farewell was set in 2022, when a 35-year-old Lionel Messi began his quest to complete football. The legendary Argentine ran the show, weaved his magic on the pitch, and helped Argentina to their first FIFA World Cup trophy since 1986. For Messi, football was complete.

The Argentine captain tried to fade away from the limelight after his failed stint at PSG, where the incredible attacking trio of him, Neymar, and Mbappe failed to win the Champions League. Messi moved to Inter Miami, surrounded himself with friends and family on and off the pitch, and prepared for the game to move away from him.

Sometimes farewells get dragged. Many times, it is the player who refuses to leave the game, despite the game leaving him. And seldom it’s the country that fails to move away from their shadow.

In Messi’s case, it is the latter. Despite publicly stating after the 2022 edition that this would be his last, Messi has returned to play in the 2026 World Cup. The reasons are not clear, but an educated guess suggests that Argentina and maybe FIFA have been able to convince him to play one last time, in the first 48-team tournament in the history of the competition.

Argentina have carried a fairly similar squad from the World Cup-winning edition. Barring the talismanic Angel Di Maria, the squad is fairly the same.

The attack is still led by Lionel Messi, with Julian Alvarez at the front of it. The midfield has the trio of Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, and Rodrigo de Paul. And between the sticks there is the controversial and yet well-feared Emi Martinez.

The Argentines have been drawn into a relatively easier group with Austria, Jordan, and Algeria. They are expected to top the group with the kind of quality that they have and progress through to the next round of the tournament.

Austria and Algeria are closely matched in the FIFA rankings and their game against each other is likely to decide second place in the group.

Jordan, on the other hand, were the runners-up in the 2023 Asian Cup, but it remains to be seen whether they are able to match the tenacity of the remaining teams.

GROUP J: SCHEDULE

• June 17: Argentina vs Algeria (6:30 am), Austria vs Jordan (9:30 am)
• June 22: Argentina vs Austria (10:30 pm)
• June 23: Jordan vs Algeria (8:30 am)
• June 28: Jordan vs Argentina (7:30 am), Algeria vs Austria (7:30 am)

GROUP J: FULL SQUADS

Argentina

Goalkeepers: Juan Musso, Geronimo Rulli, Emiliano Martinez.

Defenders: Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Tagliafico, Gonzalo Montiel, Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Nahuel Molina.

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo de Paul, Valentin Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Ezequiel Palacios, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez.

Forwards: Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi, Nicolas Gonzalez, Thiago Almada, Giuliano Simeone, Nico Paz, Jose Manuel Lopez, Lautaro Martinez.

Algeria

Goalkeepers: Oussama Benbot, Melvin Masstil, Luca Zidane.

Defenders: Achraf Abada, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Zinedine Belaid, Rafik Belghali, Ramy Bensebaini, Samir Chergui, Jaouen Hadjam, Aissa Mandi, Mohamed Amine Tougai.

Midfielders: Houssem Aouar, Nabil Bentaleb, Hicham Boudaoui, Fares Chaibi, Ibrahim Maza, Yassine Titraoui, Ramiz Zerrouki.

Forwards: Mohamed Amine Amoura, Nadir Benbouali, Adil Boulbina, Fares Ghedjemis, Amine Gouiri, Riyad Mahrez, Anis Hadj Moussa.

Austria

Goalkeepers: Niklas Hedl, Patrick Pentz, Alexander Schlager.

Defenders: David Alaba, Flavius Daniliuc, Kevin Danso, Philipp Lienhart, Phillipp Mwene, Stefan Posch, Leopold Querfeld, Gernot Trauner, Maximilian Wber.

Midfielders: Thierno Ballo, Christoph Baumgartner, Florian Grillitsch, Konrad Laimer, Alexander Prass, Marcel Sabitzer, Romano Schmid, Matthias Seidl, Nicolas Seiwald, Patrick Wimmer.

Forwards: Marko Arnautovic, Maximilian Entrup, Michael Gregoritsch, Andreas Weimann.

Jordan

Goalkeepers: Noureddin Bani Ateyah, Ahmad Al-Juaidi, Yazeed Abulaila.

Defenders: Yazan Al-Arab, Abdallah Nasib, Hijazi Maher, Saad Al-Rousan, Ihsan Haddad, Feras Shelbaieh, Mohammad Abu Hachiche, Salem Al-Ajalin.

Midfielders: Nizar Al-Rashdan, Noor Al-Rawabdeh, Rajaei Ayed, Ibrahim Sadeh, Mahmoud Al-Mardi, Mohannad Abu Taha, Saleh Rateb, Yousef Abu Jalbosh, Arif Al-Haj.

Forwards: Musa Al-Taamari, Yazan Al-Naimat, Ali Olwan, Anas Al-Awandat, Reziq Bani Hani, Abdallah Al-Attar.

GROUP J: GAME OF THE GROUP

Argentina vs Austria: Ralf Rangnick has been at the helm of the Austrian team since 2022. Four years is enough for a coach to implement his playing style on a team, and that has reflected in the Austrian side during the World Cup qualifiers, where they lost just one match.

They will be heavy favourites to finish second behind Argentina, or even first, if they are able to get the better of the defending champions.

Match Date: June 22, 10:30 pm

GROUP J: PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Marcel Sabitzer (Austria): Marcel Sabitzer might not be the biggest name at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but he could be one of the tournament’s most influential midfielders. Austria’s return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence has put fresh attention on Ralf Rangnick’s energetic side, and Sabitzer sits right at the heart of it.

What makes Sabitzer exciting is his versatility. He can play as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, winger, or even a second striker, allowing Austria to switch shapes seamlessly during games.

The 32-year-old remains Austria’s primary creative force. He led the team in assists during World Cup qualifying and continues to play a more advanced role for the national team than he does at club level.

Anis Hadj Moussa (Algeria): If Algeria are looking for a spark from the bench at the 2026 World Cup, few players fit the bill better than Anis Hadj Moussa. The winger has emerged as one of the most exciting dribblers in Dutch football since joining Feyenoord in 2024, combining quick feet with a growing ability to influence games in the final third.

The Paris-born attacker enjoyed a breakthrough spell in Rotterdam, where he developed into one of Feyenoord’s key players under Robin van Persie. While his ability to beat defenders was never in doubt, his decision-making and end product have improved significantly over the past two seasons.

Julian Alvarez (Argentina): The Atletico Madrid star is the hot news in this transfer window, having played some terrific football this season. Alvarez is pacy, has a good shot on him, and can seamlessly pick out the top corner with his blistering right-footed free-kicks.

If Argentina want to move out of Lionel Messi’s shadow in this World Cup, Alvarez is their man.

Lionel Messi (Argentina): It took Lionel Messi just one touch to open up the game in Argentina’s FIFA World Cup warm-up game on June 10. Messi walked for the majority of the game and converted a penalty in Argentina’s dominant performance against Iceland.

At 38, fitness and productivity are big concerns, and Argentina probably will have to carefully manage him if they want him to last the tournament.

GROUP J: PREDICTION

• Argentina top the group with two wins and a draw.
• Austria finish second, Algeria third, and Jordan fourth.

– Ends