World Cup 2026 Preview Group J: Messi Is The Main Attraction
The World Cup begins today, with South Africa playing Mexico at 3 pm. Group I of this tournament includes Argentina, which has one of the best players of the past ten years, Lionel Messi. Messi is still dangerous. He scored on June 9 in a 3-0 friendly victory over Iceland. The Argentines are deep and ranked third in the world by FIFA.
Joining Argentina in this group are Algeria, ranked number 29 by FIFA, Austria, ranked number 24, and Jordan, ranked 63rd. They should struggle in this group. They will face two good teams in Algeria and Austria. Especially difficult for them will be Argentina. How many goals do you think Messi will score in this World Cup?
World Cup 2026 Group I Preview
Group I of the 2026 World Cup should be interesting. There will be a great battle between Algeria and Austria for second place behind a great team from Argentina. The Jordanians will be outclassed. We will start at the top.
Argentina has a great World Cup team. The team won the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Argentina is seeking a repeat, which is very difficult to do. The only repeat champions in tournament history are Italy (in 1934 and 1938) and Brazil (in 1958 and 1962), who have ever gone back-to-back. However, Argentina destroyed competition in the qualifying round and has played very well in the lead-up to this tournament.
Argentina has a lot of weapons. Everyone knows Messi, but this is a star-studded lineup. Messi is still the best of the bunch. He is 38 years old and still averages about a goal per game for Miami in the American Major League Soccer league. He just scored his 900th goal at the senior level for Miami. He is aged, so look for midfielder Nico Paz, the 21-year-old, who has great balance and technique. He is clearly on the rise and has been scoring goals for his club team this spring.
Algeria is one of the other competitive teams in this group. This is their first appearance in the World Cup since 2014. The Desert Foxes went 8-1-1 in the qualifying round. The roster is filled with experienced veterans and talented younger players. When the team was last in the tournament, they pushed the eventual winner, Germany, in the Quarterfinals.
The Algerians are led by Riyad Mahrez, a 35-year-old forward. This is his second World Cup appearance. He has five Premier League titles, and most recently helped Al-Ahli win its first-ever AFC Champions League title in 2025. The Algerians also have several skilled younger players who could break out in this tournament. Tops among them, perhaps, is Ibrahim Maza, a 20-year-old midfielder. He currently plays for Bayer Leverkusen, but has been linked to Manchester City.
The Austrians are also in this group, and are about as good as Algeria. Marko Arnautovic, a 36-year-old striker, led the team in goal scoring in their qualifying group. The Austrians won their group in the 2024 Euro tournament. That run showed what is possible for the Austrian side.
The best player for the Austrians is midfielder Christoph Baumgartner. He scored both a goal and an assist in that 2024 Euro tournament. The 26-year-old is having a career year this season at RB Leipzig. He will be joined by potential breakout star Carnet Chukwuemeka, a 22-year-old midfielder who could break out in this World Cup. He has Nigerian Parents, but was born in Austria. He plays for Borussia Dortmund.
The final team in this group is Jordan. They finally made the tournament on their eleventh try. They were 8-5-3 in qualifying and won a 3-0 match over Oman to reach the tournament. Congratulations, you get an impossible task with three tough games.
The Jordanians are led by Forward Mousa Al-Tamari. He was the team captain in the qualifying round, and he had seven goals and two assists in the qualifying run. A potential breakout star for Jordan is Ali Olwan. A 25-year-old forward, he scored the winning goal against Oman. He scored a tournament-high six goals at the 2025 Arab Cup.
Group I Forecast
Argentina should play in the Championship game. They are that good. Algeria is pretty good in its own right. They will make it out of this group and possibly past the round of 32. This is the same story for Austria, which is also a pretty good team. The Jordanians will struggle in this group and will likely not advance out of it.
