Breaking down Group J for the FIFA World Cup, including schedule, rosters, best bets and more!
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Up until the 2022 FIFA World Cup, four of the last five champions were knocked out in the group stages in the following World Cup. That trend has only been bucked by Brazil in 2006 and France most recently in 2022. With Argentina winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup, will the curse come back and see Argentina fail to qualify for the knockout stages? It would be quite the shock if they didn’t, as they find themselves in Group J with Algeria, Austria and Jordan, with Austria being the highest-ranked team in the FIFA Men’s Rankings (24), with Argentina currently sitting in third.
Nevertheless, crazy things always seem to happen at the FIFA World Cup, and no matter what happens at the top, there will certainly be a mad dash for the second qualifying spot in what should be another fun grouping.
World Cup Groups Previews
FIFA World Cup Schedule For Group J
Tuesday, June 16th
9:00 EST- Argentina vs Algeria @ GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
12:00AM EST- Austria vs Jordan @ Levis’ Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Monday, June 22nd
1:00 EST- Argentina vs Austria @ AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
11:00 EST- Jordan vs Algeria @ Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Saturday, June 27th
10:00 EST- Algeria vs Austria @ GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
10:00 EST- Jordan vs Argentina @ AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
FIFA Rankings
FIFA World Rankings are from FIFA.com
| Team | Rank | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 3 | 1874.81 |
| Algeria | 28 | 1564.26 |
| Austria | 24 | 1593.45 |
| Jordan | 63 | 1391.45 |
FIFA World Cup Rosters
- Argentina World Cup Roster
- Algeria World Cup Roster
- Austria World Cup Roster
- Jordan World Cup Roster
Prediction
After winning the 2022 World Cup, Argentina will look to be the first team to win consecutive tournaments since Brazil won it in 1958 and 1962. They’ll face stiff competition, but not in the group stage. Although Algeria and Austria certainly have some good players, they aren’t anywhere near the level of Argentina. Group J appears to be another group that lacks a little bit of intrigue with the expanded field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Although you can basically pencil in Argentina as the winner of this group right now, it will be fun to see how the rest of the group plays out, more specifically, who finishes second between Algeria and Austria. Both teams are relatively solid all-around with some star power scattered throughout the squad. It’s a razor-sharp margin between these two teams, but I will give the benefit of the doubt to Algeria. With Austria qualifying for the first time since 1998 and Algeria most recently losing in extra time of the knockout stages to the eventual champions Germany in 2014, I’ll give the edge to the team with the most recent success.
Although Algeria and Austria should finish second and third, respectively, don’t count out Jordan. In all likelihood, they will finish last, but one upset against either Algeria or Austria would suddenly turn this entire group on its head.
World Cup Best Bets 2026
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Argentina to win Group J: -340
Argentina/Algeria to finish 1/2: +220
Argentina to win all group games: +125
Players to Watch
Argentina — Emiliano Martínez (Goalkeeper), Alexis Mac Allister (Midfielder), Enzo Fernández (Midfielder), Lionel Messi (Forward), Lautaro Martínez (Forward)
Algeria — Rayan Aït-Nouri (Defender), Houssem Aouar (Midfielder), Riyad Mahrez (Forward)
Austria — David Alaba (Defender), Konrad Laimer (Midfielder), Christoph Baumgartner (Midfielder)
Jordan — Mousa Al-Tamari (Forward)
