Lionel Messi on Bench for Argentina vs Jordan World Cup 2026 Match

Lionel Messi will begin on the bench as Argentina face Jordan in their final Group J match of the World Cup 2026 on Saturday night. Head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed on Friday that the tournament's all-time top scorer would be restricted to a substitute appearance in Dallas.

Scaloni Confirms Messi's Role

"Leo will most likely come on in the second half," Scaloni said. "We talked and agreed that it was better that way, but obviously it's also good for him to stay in competitive form." The coach added that the decision was not related to the next match, stating, "The decision of who plays is not related to who plays in the next match."

Scaloni also praised Jordan as opponents, saying, "Jordan is a good opponent, and our intention will be to have the ball and dominate through possession. The opponent's forwards are fast and we will have to take that into account."

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Messi's World Cup Campaign

Messi has made an incredible start to what is his sixth and final World Cup, overtaking Germany's Miroslav Klose to become the leading scorer in finals history. He achieved this with the first of his two goals against Austria, which came after an early penalty miss. Earlier, Messi had escaped a potential red card and scored a hat-trick in Argentina's opening victory over Algeria.

However, with Messi having turned 39 earlier this week, Scaloni must manage his playing time carefully. Argentina have already secured top spot in Group J with back-to-back wins and are heavy favourites to complete a clean sweep against debutants Jordan, who are already eliminated after successive losses.

Knockout Stage Preparation

Argentina already know they will face Cape Verde in the round of 32 in Miami next Friday, July 3. Cape Verde made history by finishing as shock runners-up to European champions Spain in Group H, ahead of Uruguay. Scaloni has hinted at several other changes against Jordan as he rests key players for the knockout stages.

Tottenham captain Cristian Romero is recovering from a knee injury suffered against Austria on Monday and misses this game, replaced at centre-back by Nicolas Otamendi. New Spurs signing Marcos Senesi deputises alongside him in place of Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez, having received a late call-up after a calf injury to Leonardo Balerdi.

Emiliano Martinez continues in goal, with Nicolas Tagliafico set to replace Facundo Medina at left-back. Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister make way for Exequiel Palacios and Leandro Paredes as the central midfield pairing, with Giovani Lo Celso potentially coming in out wide. Julian Alvarez joins Lautaro Martinez in attack, while Nico Paz and Giuliano Simeone also start. Valentin Barco and Jose Manuel Lopez should feature off the bench.