Messi starts on the bench as Argentina face Jordan with Golden Boot in sight

Lionel Messi will begin Argentina’s dead-rubber Group J clash against Jordan on the bench at the 2026 World Cup, coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed ahead of kick-off, though the record scorer could still enter the fray as a substitute.

Argentina have already secured their place in the knockout rounds, leaving this fixture with little tactical significance — but Messi’s personal milestone hunt gives it a storyline of its own. The 37-year-old sits on five goals at this tournament, and with the Golden Boot race intensifying, any cameo against a fatigued Jordanian side could prove meaningful.

Messi is already the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, and five goals in a single edition adds further weight to a record that may never be surpassed. Whether Scaloni introduces him late in the contest will be the defining subplot of an otherwise low-stakes evening.

The main event in Group J runs concurrently: Austria vs Algeria, where a knockout-stage berth and potentially a favourable third-place route are both on the line, making that fixture the one with genuine jeopardy.

Commentary for the Argentina vs Jordan match will be provided by Steve Bower, with Danny Murphy serving as co-commentator.