World Cup 2026: Group J Preview & Picks - Argentina Tipped to Ease Through Section

The Albiceleste lead the betting at 1.33 to win the group, with Austria next in the market at 5.5. Algeria are available at 6.5, while Jordan are outsiders at 41.0 ahead of their first-ever World Cup finals appearance.

Argentina have shown little sign of slowing down since their triumph in Qatar in 2022, and led by the ageless Lionel Messi, they are expected to finish top of the section. 

Let’s take a deeper look at Group J.

Argentina come into the World Cup as defending champions and clear favourites to win Group J.

La Albiceleste enjoyed smooth progress to the finals, finishing top of the CONMEBOL qualification campaign. Argentina won 12 of their 18 qualifiers, eventually finishing nine points clear of Ecuador and ten ahead of old rivals Brazil.

More recently, Argentina eased to a series of one-sided friendly victories against fairly limited opposition, including Zambia and Puerto Rico.

Lionel Scaloni’s side retain the core of the team that lifted the trophy in Qatar, with Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez still key members of the squad.

The biggest storyline, of course, remains Lionel Messi. The 38-year-old, set to turn 39 in June, is will make a record-breaking sixth World Cup appearance this summer despite recent injury issues with Inter Miami.

The legendary veteran’s role and workload will need to be managed carefully, but even a reduced version of Messi is still likely to play a vital role in Argentina’s title defence.

The world champions are likely to operate in a fluid 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 hybrid, built around collective pressing, rapid transitions and technical control in midfield.

A narrow and largely unimpressive friendly win against Mauritania raised some concerns, but Scaloni has enough depth and quality at his disposal to move smoothly through Group J.

With Algeria first up, Argentina will need to be at their best to pick up the points, but they still look likely to comfortably emerge as winners of a modest-looking section.

European qualifiers Austria look the most likely challengers to Argentina and should be confident of reaching the knockout phase.

Ralf Rangnick’s side are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1998 after topping their UEFA qualifying group ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania.

The Austrians proved worthy winners of the section, picking up six wins and losing just one of eight matches. With 22 goals scored and only four conceded, Das Team arrive in the Americas with plenty of reason for optimism.

Recent friendly results offer further encouragement, with three successive wins secured against Ghana, South Korea and Tunisia. Impressively, they overcame the Tunisians in their most recent runout despite being reduced to ten men in the first half, with the scores still level.

Under Rangnick, Austria’s style is clear. They like to press aggressively, counter quickly after turnovers and force their opponents into mistakes high up the pitch. Whether that style translates to potentially energy-sapping fixtures in California, Texas and Missouri remains to be seen.

Not lacking in experience, the Europeans have included eight players with 50 caps or more, including classy Real Madrid defender David Alaba.

Marcel Sabitzer offers creative spark, while Christoph Baumgartner, Konrad Laimer, Nicolas Seiwald and Xaver Schlager give Rangnick the energy and intensity needed to make the high-pressing system work.

Veteran marksman Marko Arnautovic remains a vital presence in the forward line. Bundesliga-based forward Michael Gregoritsch is another experienced attacking option expected to play a prominent role.

Given their strong form over the past year, and with a winnable opener against Jordan on June 17, Austria seem likely to edge Algeria in what could prove a tight battle for second spot.

The Fennecs came through CAF Group G in impressive fashion, winning eight of their ten matches, eventually finishing seven points clear of Uganda. Averaging 2.4 goals per game, the African qualifiers are not lacking in attacking quality. 

While an AFCON quarter-final elimination against Nigeria in January was a big disappointment, Vladimir Petkovic’s side look strong enough to challenge both Argentina and Austria in the quest for a top-two finish in the section. 

Bosnian and Herzegovinian boss Petkovic has built an attack-minded side with plenty of quality in the final third. Riyad Mahrez remains the captain and the driving creative force, while Mohamed Amoura, Amine Gouiri and Houssem Aouar give Algeria pace, movement and technical quality in the attacking areas.

A 7-0 win against Guatemala in a recent friendly fixture illustrated Algeria’s ability to put their opponents to the sword. A 0-0 draw against Uruguay three days later suggested they can also adapt their shape against perceived stronger opposition.

Unbeaten in 33 of their last 35 internationals over the past two years, the Fennecs will do well to take anything from their opener against Argentina in Missouri on June 17th. Beyond that, victory against Jordan should set them up nicely for a second-place shootout with the Austrians.

Completing the section, Asian qualifiers Jordan are one of the great underdog stories of the 2026 World Cup, reaching the finals for the first time in their history.

After nine previous failed attempts, Jordan secured qualification by finishing second in AFC Group B, remaining unbeaten in eight of ten matches. A 3-0 win against Oman last June sealed their spot, sparking wild celebrations on the streets of Amman.

Head coach Jamal Sellami has built a compact, disciplined and counter-attacking side that are likely to defend in numbers across all three Group J fixtures.

Rennes forward Moussa Al-Tamari is The Chivalrous Ones’ standout performer, with 24 goals in 91 caps, but getting regular service to the 26-year-old could prove an issue.

Recent friendly results have raised plenty of concerns. Jordan lost five and failed to win any of seven non-competitive fixtures against opponents from Europe, Africa and South America.

A 4-1 defeat against Switzerland in their most recent run-out points to Jordan’s level, and while they are unlikely to be overwhelmed, they seem set to struggle on their debut World Cup appearance.

Picking up anything from their June 17 opener against Austria would give the Asian qualifiers momentum, but they seem unlikely to challenge when the qualification spots are handed out.