Group J of the 2026 FIFA World Cup took place from June 16 to 27, 2026.[1] The group consisted of Argentina, the 2022 World Cup champions, Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.
Argentina topped the group with three group game wins, and Austria finished as runners-up, gaining the edge over Algeria based on goal difference. Both teams advanced to the round of 32.[2]
Algeria's performance was sufficient to advance them to the knockout stage as one of the best third-place teams. World Cup debutants Jordan finished last and were eliminated.
On June 22, Lionel Messi scored his 17th goal in World Cup match against Austria, surpassing Miroslav Klose (16) as the FIFA World Cup's all-time top goalscorer. After the three group stage matches, Messi scored six goals for a total of 19 goals across the six World Cups he has participated in.[3]
Teams
| Draw position | Team | Pot | Confederation | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Finals appearance |
Last appearance |
Previous best performance |
FIFA Rankings[4][5] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025[nb 1] | June 2026 | |||||||||
| J1 |  Argentina |
1 | CONMEBOL | CONMEBOL round robin winner | March 25, 2025 | 19th | 2022 | Winner (1978, 1986, 2022) | 2 | 1 |
| J2 |  Algeria |
3 | CAF | CAF Group G winner | October 9, 2025 | 5th | 2014 | Round of 16 (2014) | 35 | 28 |
| J3 |  Austria |
2 | UEFA | UEFA Group H winner | November 18, 2025 | 8th | 1998 | Third place (1954) | 24 | 24 |
| J4 |  Jordan |
4 | AFC | AFC third round Group B runner-up | June 5, 2025 | 1st | — | — | 66 | 63 |
Notes
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Austria |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4[a] | |
| 3 | Algeria |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4[a] | |
| 4 | Jordan |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 |
In the round of 32:[2]
- The winner of Group J, Argentina, advanced to play the runner-up of Group H, Cape Verde.
- The runner-up of Group J, Austria, advanced to play the winner of Group H, Spain.
- The third-place team of Group J, Algeria, advanced to play the winner of Group B, Switzerland, as one of the eight best third-place teams from the group stage.
Matches
All times listed are local.[1]
Argentina vs Algeria
Argentina had faced Algeria previously only once, a 4–3 friendly win in 2007.[7]
With his hat-trick, Lionel Messi equalled Miroslav Klose as the all-time top-scorer of the FIFA World Cup, with 16 goals.[8]
Messi also became the first male player to play in six World Cups and the second player to score in five World Cups.[9][10] At 38 years and 357 days old, he also became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick.[11]
| Argentina |
3–0 | Algeria |
|---|---|---|
|
[Report 1] |
Argentina[12]
|
Algeria[12]
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[12] |
Austria vs Jordan
The two teams had never met before. The fixture marked Jordan's debut at the FIFA World Cup.
| Austria |
3–1 | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
|
[Report 2] |
|
Austria[14]
|
Jordan[14]
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[14] |
Argentina vs Austria
The teams had met on two occasions, both friendlies, with the most recent being a 1–1 draw in 1990.[15]
In the 8th minute, Argentina were awarded a penalty after Stefan Posch fouled Lautaro Martinez in the box, Lionel Messi took the penalty but fired wide low to the right of the post. In the 38th minute, Messi scored with a first-time left-foot finish from just inside the penalty area to the left corner after a low cross from the left by Facundo Medina. In the 95th minute, Messi scored again to make it 2–0 when his initial shot was blocked he followed up to hit low to the net from a tight angle on the left past two Austrian defenders.[16]
In scoring both of Argentina's goals, Messi surpassed Miroslav Klose to become the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 18 goals.[17] He was named Man of the Match and became the third player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches.
| Argentina |
2–0 | Austria |
|---|---|---|
|
[Report 3] |
Argentina[18]
|
Austria[18]
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[18] |
Jordan vs Algeria
The teams have previously faced each other three times, most recently in 2004, a 1–1 draw in a friendly.[19]
In the 36th minute, Nizar Al-Rashdan scored for Jordan with a shot with the outside of his right foot low to the right corner from the right of the penalty area. Nadhir Benbouali made it 1–1 in the 69th minute with a header to the left corner of the net after corner from on the right Riyad Mahrez. Amine Gouiri got the winning goal for Algeria in the 82nd minute when he hooked the ball into the net from close range after another corner from the right broke to him. With this defeat, Jordan were eliminated from the tournament.[20]
| Jordan |
1–2 | Algeria |
|---|---|---|
|
[Report 4] |
|
Jordan[21]
|
Algeria[21]
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[21] |
Algeria vs Austria
The teams had met once before, in Austria's 2–0 group stage victory at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.[22] A win for either team would guarantee second-place in group J, while the loser would be eliminated, but a draw would let both teams advance to the knockout round (with Austria in second-place due to greater goal difference after matchday 2) and eliminate Iran from the third-place rankings, which had raised fears of the Disgrace of Gijón from the 1982 World Cup repeating.[23][24] In the end, both teams gave full effort and the game had a "frenetic pace",[25] with each team having a lead at some point in the second half, and each scoring in stoppage time.
| Algeria |
3–3 | Austria |
|---|---|---|
|
[Report 5] |
|
|
Algeria[26]
|
Austria[26]
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[26] |
Jordan vs Argentina
The two teams had never met before.
Argentina came out strong despite having already secured first place, with two goals scored Giovani Lo Celso and Lautaro Martínez in the first half. Musa Al-Taamari then made it 1–2 in the 55th minute. However, with Lionel Messi subbed in, he scored from a free kick, marking his sixth goal overall at this World Cup.
With this result, defending champions Argentina finished Group J with a perfect 3-win record. In contrast, tournament debutants Jordan and Uzbekistan both suffered three straight defeats, making them the only debutant teams to finish without a single point.
| Jordan |
1–3 | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
|
[Report 6] |
|
|
Jordan[27]
|
Argentina[27]
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[27] |
Discipline
The team conduct ("fair play") score would have been used as a tiebreaker if the head-to-head and overall records of teams were tied. It would also be used as a tiebreaker for the third-place ranking between groups if the overall records of teams were tied. The score was calculated based on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all group matches as follows:[2]
- yellow card: −1 point;
- indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
- direct red card: −4 points;
- yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
Only one of the above deductions could be applied to a player or team official in a single match.
| Team | Match 1 | Match 2 | Match 3 | Score | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| Algeria |
1 | −1 | |||||||||||
| Argentina |
2 | −2 | |||||||||||
| Austria |
1 | 2 | 1 | −4 | |||||||||
| Jordan |
1 | 3 | −4 | ||||||||||
References
- ^ a b "FIFA World Cup 26 – Match Schedule" (PDF). FIFA. February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c "FIFA World Cup 2026 Regulations" (PDF). FIFA. May 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 23, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup all-time leading scorers". FIFA. June 30, 2026. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ^ "FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking (19 November 2025)". FIFA. November 19, 2025. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
- ^ "FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking (11 June 2026)". FIFA. June 11, 2026. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
- ^ "Draw Procedures for the FIFA World Cup 2026" (PDF). FIFA. November 25, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ^ "Argentina national football team: record v Algeria". 11v11.com. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
- ^ "Messi hat-trick equals scoring record as Argentina dazzle against Algeria". Reuters.
- ^ "Lionel Messi becomes 1st man to play at 6 World Cups". ESPN. June 16, 2026.
- ^ "Lionel Messi Ties All-Time World Cup Scoring Record with Hat Trick Against Algeria". Fox Sports. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ^ Milano, Bruno (June 16, 2026). "Lionel Messi breaks Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the oldest player with a World Cup hat-trick". bolavip.com.
- ^ a b c "Tactical Line-up – Group J – Argentina v. Algeria" (PDF). FIFA. June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f "Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match – every winner". FIFA. June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Tactical Line-up – Group J – Austria v. Jordan" (PDF). FIFA. June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ^ "Argentina national football team: record v Austria". 11v11.com. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
- ^ "World Cup 2026: Argentina 2–0 Austria – Lionel Messi breaks scoring record with two goals to send holders through". Sky Sports. June 22, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ^ Emons, Michael (June 22, 2026). "Argentina 2–0 Austria". BBC Sport.
- ^ a b c "Tactical Line-up – Group J – Argentina v. Austria" (PDF). FIFA. June 22, 2026. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ^ "Jordan national football team: record v Algeria". 11v11.com. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
- ^ "Jordan 1 Algeria 2". BBC Sport. June 22, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Tactical Line-up – Group J – Jordan v. Algeria" (PDF). FIFA. June 22, 2026. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ^ "Algeria vs. Austria Head-to-Head in the World Cups". The Soccer World Cups. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
- ^ "Algeria vs Austria live score, updates: World Cup 2026 game level in second half after Belghali equaliser". The Athletic. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
- ^ "'Disgrace of Kansas City' loading? Austria-Algeria clash set to expose World Cup's unfair format - and that could play straight into Gianni Infantino's hands". Goal.com. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ^ ESPN News Services (June 28, 2026). "Algeria and Austria's dramatic draw sends Iran out of World Cup". ESPN. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Tactical Line-up – Group J – Algeria v. Austria" (PDF). FIFA. June 27, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Tactical Line-up – Group J – Jordan v. Argentina" (PDF). FIFA. June 27, 2026. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
Reports
- ^
- "Argentina vs Algeria | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- "Match Report – Group J – Argentina v. Algeria". FIFA. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group J – Argentina v. Algeria". FIFA. June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- ^
- "Austria vs Jordan | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- "Match Report – Group J – Austria v. Jordan". FIFA. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group J – Austria v. Jordan". FIFA. June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ^
- "Argentina vs Austria | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- "Match Report – Group J – Argentina v. Austria". FIFA. June 22, 2026. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group J – Argentina v. Austria". FIFA. June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ^
- "Jordan vs Algeria | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- "Match Report – Group J – Jordan v. Algeria". FIFA. June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group J – Jordan v. Algeria". FIFA. June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ^
- "Algeria vs Austria | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- "Match Report – Group J – Algeria v. Austria". FIFA. June 28, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group J – Algeria v. Austria". FIFA. June 28, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ^
- "Jordan vs Argentina | First Stage | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- "Match Report – Group J – Jordan v. Argentina". FIFA. June 28, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- "Post match summary report – Group J – Jordan v. Argentina". FIFA. June 28, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.