FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J: The final chapter of a football fairytale for Messi?

Defending champions Argentina are one of the favourites for this summer's FIFA World Cup, and are expected to go all the way. They've been draw in Group J, alongside Algeria, Austria and debutants Jordan.

My FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J predictions can be found below, which include team previews and are supported by the latest odds at Betfred. 

Algeria

FIFA world ranking: 28

To win the group: 11/2

Algeria return to the world stage this summer, having failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups. The last time they featured in this tournament was back in 2014, when they stunned South Korea and almost knocked out Germany, eventually losing 2-1 in extra-time.

Manager Vladimir Petkovic, who led Switzerland to the Euro 2020 quarter-finals and last-16 at the 2018 World Cup, will have his sights set on securing automatic qualification from the group. You’d have to imagine that, if things pan out the way we expect them to, the Algerians and Austria will battle it out for second place.

This Algeria squad will feature some notable names, including former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, as well as current City full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri. There’s plenty of players who currently ply their trade in Europe too including son of Zinedine, Luca Zidane (Granada), Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund) and Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen).

A record of 8-1 during qualifying will see the Algerians arriving in North America full of confidence and feeling like they can cause an upset against current champions Argentina in their opening fixture.

Key player: Riyad Mahrez

It goes without saying that Algeria’s star man remains Mahrez. His powers may have faded slightly since his time at Manchester City, but the 35-year-old remains a mercurial talent, with a wand of a left foot.

The captain has earned over 100 caps for his country, but this is just his second appearance at a World Cup.

Twenty-year-old Maza is known as ‘Mazadona’ in his homeland for good reason and looks capable of having a breakout tournament.

Prediction: There’s probably an expectation from Algeria fans for their country to at least make it out of the group, especially with this expected to be Mahez’s last dance.

A solid qualification campaign behind them too, there’s plenty of reason for optimism for Petkovic’s side.

Argentina

FIFA world ranking: 3

To win the group: 1/3

Reigning world champions Argentina will look to become the first team in 64 years to claim back-to-back World Cups – and they’re certainly among the favourites to go all the way this summer.

The 2022 triumph felt like a long-awaited prophecy for the sport’s greatest-ever player in Lionel Messi to finally complete the set and lift that elusive trophy, after coming agonisingly close in 2014 against Germany. With this very likely to be Messi’s final appearance at a World Cup, Lionel Scaloni’s men now dream of sending their captain on his way with another World Cup title under his belt.

Argentina won 12 of their 18 qualifiers, and were the only South American nation to collect double-digit wins. On paper at least, I think most would expect this Argentina side to comfortably top the group, however, let’s not forget that they were on the receiving end of a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in Qatar four years ago.

Key player: Lionel Messi

Despite his age, Messi remains the heartbeat of this Argentina team, and as mentioned above, this will almost certainly be his last appearance on the world stage.

He helped Inter Miami to their first MLS Cup in December and hasn’t started this season too badly either, scoring 13 times and recording five assists in 15 appearances, at the time of writing.

Outside of Messi, Scaloni possesses other deadly weapons in attack, including Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez and Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez.

Prediction: Argentina will be expected to go all the way in North America, and anything less than winning this group will be deemed as a failure.

Austria

FIFA world ranking: 24

To win the group: 9/2

Ralf Rangnick has guided Austria to their first World Cup since 1998 – and did it by topping their UEFA qualifying group with relative ease - Das Team won six games, and drew once, netting 22 goals and shipping just four.

Rangnick, despite his difficulties in charge of Manchester United, is one of the most influential minds in modern football and is often credited with developing the ‘Gegenpressing’ tactic, influencing the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann. He’s brought Austria back from the wilderness and now they’re believing that anything is possible.

Their opening match against Jordan should set them up for a perfect start and build some momentum ahead of key clashes against Argentina and Algeria.

Key player: Marko Arnautovic

Despite being 36 years old, Arnautovic remains a key cog for Austria as the side’s all-time leader in goals and appearances. The former Stoke City man scored eight times during qualifying and will be eager to make his mark on the world stage this summer.

Marcel Sabitzer and David Alaba remain experienced players that Rangnick can rely on, and Christoph Baumgartner was the country’s standout player at Euro 2024, so he’s another to keep an eye on.

Prediction: As I’ve alluded to above, I think second place will come down to Austria and Algeria, with that fixture between the pair potentially the catalyst to decide who goes through automatically.

Jordan

FIFA world ranking: 63

To win the group: 33/1

Jordan embarks on their first-ever World Cup campaign this summer, after nine previous attempts at qualification.

They finished second in AFC Group B in the third round of qualifying, went unbeaten in eight of 10 matches and confirmed their place with a 3-0 win over Oman in early June 2025.

Ranked 63^rd in the world, expectations won’t be high for this group of players, but so many players will be desperate to make an impact, which, to be fair, makes then an intriguing addition to Group J.

Key player: Musa Al-Taamari

Al-Taamari is the captain of the national team, and is the side’s most notable player, as so few of Jordan’s stars operate in Europe’s elite leagues, plying his trade at Rennes in Ligue 1.

The 28-year-old is a regular for the French outfit and is a useful outlet on the counter-attack due to his pace and trickery.

Prediction: Jamal Sellami has guided this nation into uncharted territory, but a dearth of real quality in comparison to other three sides means that their stay in North America is unlikely to extend past the group stage.

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