World Cup
2026-06-27 - Jordan vs Argentina
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: World Cup Group J Match Day 3
Saturday 27th June 2026 - Kick Off 9pm (CST)
British Time 3am
Jordan
It was always going to be a tall task for Jordan to extend their World Cup run to beyond the Group Stage of the 2026 Finals, but they will have some regret. They were level with Austria in the first game in this Group before conceding with around fifteen minutes to play and led Algeria with twenty minutes left on the clock, but Jordan failed to hang on in either match.
Even worse for Jordan is the fact they allowed a first half lead against Algeria to be overturned into a defeat and that has guaranteed elimination with one more Group match to play. There is still going to be plenty of motivation within the camp to round out the tournament with a big performance against Lionel Messi and the defending World Cup holders Argentina and that should bring an intensity into the performance.
Jordan had learned at first hand during recent friendly matches about the level they were stepping up into when playing at the World Cup. The experiences could help in developing the next generation of players with Jordan now expecting to be involved in the bigger tournament fields on the world stage, but they will have to improve at both ends of the pitch to take the next step.
Very few changes were made in the starting eleven for the fixtures against Austria and Algeria, but this may be an opportunity for others to have a chance to compete on this stage.
Predicted Line Up: Abulaila, Nasib, Al-Arab, Abu Dahab, Haddad, Hasheesh, Al-Rashdan, Al-Rawabdeh, Fakhoury, Ali Olwan and Al-Tamari (3-4-3)
Argentina
It was a perfect day for Argentina who saw Lionel Messi become the leading World Cup goalscorer of all time (for now) and the team beat Austria to secure their place in the Last 32 as Group Winners. This is a dead rubber for the World Champions, but manager Lionel Scaloni will want to see his team round out the section with another win as they have plenty of time to prepare for the first Knock Out tie.
The World Cup holders are another team amongst the favourites to lift the trophy in the middle of July in New York/New Jersey, but Argentina will have been paying close attention to the ending of Group H as they hope to avoid facing Spain in the Last 32. As long as Spain do not lose to Uruguay, that should be the case, but Argentina may also be scouting the potential of facing Saudi Arabia or Cape Verde rather than their South American rivals in the next Round as they would have expected.
Argentina's win over Austria makes it 9 straight in all competitions since losing to Ecuador in the final World Cup Qualifier, while they have only conceded a single goal in that time. The Knock Out pathway feels like it could really open up for Argentina as long as they avoid Spain in the next Round and there is a growing confidence around this squad that they can make history by defending the World Cup won in Qatar.
Lionel Scaloni is almost certainly going to make some changes to his starting eleven to freshen things up, but will also have noted that Argentina are not due to play until next Friday. This is a chance to allow a couple of players to build up their fitness in what should be very good conditions to play football in Dallas late into Saturday evening.
Predicted Line Up: Emi Martinez, Molina, Tagliafico, Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Paredes, Gonzalez, Fernandez, De Paul, Alvarez and Messi (4-4-2)
Head to Head
This is the first competitive meeting between the nations.
Prediction
FIFA may choose to look into their decision to make head to head the first tie-breaker rather than goal difference at this tournament as it has led to a dead rubber or two in the final Group games.
If they had used the old method of goal difference, both Jordan and Argentina would have something to play for in this final Group fixture.
However, as it stands, Argentina have won the Group and Jordan have no way of finishing as one of the best third place finishers, despite being able to secure three points to end the tournament.
The situation will frustrate some of the fans, but it is what it is in 2026 and Argentina and Jordan can both make a few changes to allow the squad to feel a part of the World Cup.
Argentina have more reason to maintain some momentum with a Knock Out tie to come, but they have several days to prepare for that fixture and a couple of key players may be rested. One of those is not expected to be Lionel Messi as he bids to win the Golden Boot to go alongside the most goals scored at the tournament.
They will certainly feel they can create chances against a Jordan defence that has struggled against inferior attacks, while the Asian Qualifiers may need to outperform the quality of chances being created to get back on the scoreboard.
Jordan have to be credited for the goals scored against Austria and Algeria, but Argentina have a defensive unit that is well organised and the World Champions may be able to record a third clean sheet in succession on their way to maximum Group points.
The Pick :
Jordan 0-2 Argentina
