Pedigree and experience should see reigning champions Argentina secure maximum points and finish comfortably at the top of the World Cup’s Group J.
Austria have the technical prowess and talent to lock down the second qualification spot, though they are expected to be tested by Algeria. The north Africans are seen as dark horses who could challenge Austria for second place or cause an upset against Argentina.
Jordan are the underdogs and are expected to struggle against more experienced opposition, but will believe they hold spoiler potential.
ARGENTINA
In the history of the World Cup, only Italy and Brazil have ever gone back-to-back with the trophy and that was in the genesis of the global competition.
Pele’s Brazil were the last to achieve this in 1958 and 1962, underlining how difficult it is to complete the sequence.
Can the Argentinians pull off the remarkable and be the third country to join the list? They have all the capacity and ability to bag their fourth World Cup accolade.
They will be brimming with confidence coming into the competition after being crowned the 2024 Copa América champions. They have a huge advantage going into the North American edition, having more of their core from the Qatar 2022 triumph perfectly intact.
They have personnel who possess a deep, proven psychological resilience to easily make it out of the group and proceed to the knockout games.
Leading their challenge will be their 38-year-old talisman Lionel Messi, the world’s best player with Cristiano Ronaldo in the late 2000s to early 2020s. Now ageing, he has been in good form with Inter Miami in the MLS, though he had a hamstring strain going into the World Cup.
With Messi not as fluid as he was in his golden years, the burden is expected to be shared by world-class talents such as Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez. Maestro Lionel Scaloni has coached the team since 2018.
- Fifa ranking: 3
- Best World Cup finishes: Champions (1978,1986, 2022)
- World Cup appearances: 18
AUSTRIA
Welcome back Das Team. They will be making their first appearance in 28 years and have the chance to sneak into the knockout stages for the first time since 1982.
Their form is sublime after qualifying with flying colours. They are managed by former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick, who has instilled a strong and cohesive culture, especially defensively.
Like any other team mentored by the German Rangnick, they use the “gegenpressing” system that disrupts opponents and allows the team to control the tempo of the match.
Real Madrid’s David Alaba will skipper the nation. Borussia Dortmund’s Marcel Sabitzer, RB Leipzig’s Christoph Baumgartner and veteran striker Marko Arnautovic will be the key players.
- Fifa ranking: 24
- Best World Cup finishes: Third (1954)
- World Cup appearances: 7
ALGERIA
The Desert Warriors will be making their comeback to the big stage after missing the past two editions in Qatar (2022) and Russia (2018).
The North Africans will hope to replicate their success in 2014, which saw them reach the round of 16, giving eventual world champions Germany a run for their money before they lost in extra time.
How is their form going to the World Cup? They comfortably topped Group G in the African qualifiers, where they were guided by Bosnian Vladimir Petkovic.
Their attack is spearheaded by VfL Wolfsburg striker Mohamed Amoura, who racked up 10 goals during qualifying, and former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez.
The team also features a high-profile name in Luca Zidane, the son of legendary Frenchman and World Cup winner Zinedine. They open their campaign against the defending champions Argentina.
- Fifa ranking: 28
- Best World Cup finishes: Last 16 (2014)
- World Cup appearances: 4
JORDAN
Al Nashama (The Chivalrous Ones) enter the tournament as virtual unknowns.
The squad is labelled the country’s “golden generation”, famously qualifying for their first World Cup.
Jordan will rely on the attacking talents of stars such as Musa Al-Tamari and Yazan Al-Naimat, who have built strong reputations in Asian football after Jordan’s impressive run to the AFC Asian Cup final.
They appear to be the group whipping boys but a decent Fifa ranking of 63rd suggests Jordan might have some upsets in them. They will play Austria in their first game and will hope to manufacture an upset.
- Fifa ranking: 63
- Best World Cup finishes: Never qualified
- World Cup appearance: None
• TimesLIVE, Sowetan, The Herald, Daily Dispatch and Business Day online are profiling two 2026 WORLD CUP GROUPS every Tuesday until the tournament’s June 11 kickoff. Also catch the STAR PLAYER profile every Friday.
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