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World Cup 2026: Jordan v Argentina team news
Jordan threatened a significant upset and their first-ever World Cup points when Nizar Al Rashdan scored their opener against Algeria on Tuesday, only to lose 2-1 to goals after the 68th minute in San Francisco.
The tournament debutants were also level against Austria until the 75th minute on matchday one, a result Jamal Sellami called “a real boost” when the head coach reflected on the defeat that eliminated his side.
“[Testing Algeria] has given us confidence and the belief that we can be at our best in the next game,” said Jamal Sellami.
“[We aspire to] leave a good impression of Jordanian football.”
Their swansong in the group stage is a daunting one against holders Argentina, who have beaten Algeria 3-0 and Austria 2-0 through goals by Lionel Messi.
“We all would have signed up to win both matches,” head coach Lionel Scaloni said, discussing his plans to rotate his selection (via Ole).
“The idea is to give most of them the chance to play; they deserve it, and we’ll do it whenever the match allows.
“It’s always good to be able to take care of them. To the extent that we can, we will do so, because we believe that everyone has to be involved, [including] the players who have had few minutes.
“Anything we can spare them is good.”
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 6 |
| Austria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Algeria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 0 |
| Jordan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 0 |
Jordan v Argentina World Cup 2026 predicted line-ups
Emiliano Martinez is perhaps more likely than most of Argentina’s first-choice players to keep his place as the Aston Villa goalkeeper continues his comeback from a fractured finger.
Martinez has started both group stage matches and is four behind Sergio Romero’s record of 43 clean sheets for the country, with the 2022 champion playing 35 fewer matches.
Left-back Nicolas Tagliafico (muscle) and forward Julian Alvarez (ankle) could also be given more game time after arriving at the finals following injuries.
Messi’s involvement from the start is uncertain, although the tournament top scorer is unlikely to want to be rested entirely.
Sellami will retain Jordan’s “basic structure” but make changes to provide “more balance” in midfield, according to Al Ra’i.
That could mean a return for Odeh Al-Fakhouri, who joined Mohammad Abu Al-Nadi in making way for Husam Abu Dahab and Mahmoud Al-Mardi last time out.
Rajaei Ayed, Anas Badawi, Nour Bani Attiah, Abdallah Al-Fakhouri, Amer Jamous, Ibrahim Sadeh and Mohammad Taha are yet to make their World Cup debuts.
Jordan starting XI: Yazeed Abulaila, Abdallah Nasib, Yazan Al Arab, Husam Abu Dahab, Ehsan Haddad, Nizar Al Rashdan, Noor Al Rawabdeh, Mohannad Abu Taha, Ali Olwan, Mousa Al Tamari, Mahmoud Al Mardi
Argentina starting XI: Emiliano Martinez, Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Senesi, Nicolás Tagliafico, Giuliano Simeone, Exequiel Palacios, Gio Lo Celso, Nicolas Gonzalez, Nico Paz, Julian Alvarez
Where to watch Jordan v Argentina: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Sunday is at 03:00 BST (22:00 ET on Saturday / 19:00 PT on Saturday). In the UK, live TV coverage is on BBC One.
Streaming on a vast range of devices is available through the BBC iPlayer app and BBC Sport website.
World Cup 2026: Jordan v Argentina stats
- Jordan are without a win in their last seven matches in all competitions (D2 L5), suffering more defeats than they had in their previous 13 games (W7 D2)
- Athe last Asian Cup in 2023, Jordan lost the final 3-1 to hosts Qatar, who have been eliminated from the World Cup
- A tally of 32 goals was Jordan’s highest in a single qualifying campaign, surpassing their 2014 record of 30 goals
- They were one of three AFC sides who reached this World Cup while remaining unbeaten away (W4 D4), along with Australia and South Korea
- Only Iran’s Mehdi Taremi (17 – 10 goals, 7 assists) and Qatar’s Akram Afif (15 – 4 goals, 11 assists) were directly involved in more goals than Jordan forward Yazan Al-Naimat (14 – 8 goals, 6 assists) during AFC qualifying
- Jamal Sellami is at his first World Cup as head coach and is the fourth Moroccan to manage at the finals, after Abdellah Blinda (1994), Walid Regragui (2022) and Mohamed Ouahbi (2026), but the first to lead a nation other than Morocco
- Since losing their group opener to Saudi Arabia in 2022, Argentina have remained unbeaten in nine World Cup games (W7 D2)
- Argentina have won each of their last 10 games in all competitions by an aggregate scoreline of 27-1
- Against Austria, Lionel Messi became the third player in the tournament history to score in six consecutive games, after France’s Just Fontaine in 1958 and Brazil’s Jairzinho in 1970
- Since their first triumph in 1978, Argentina have won the World Cup more times than any other nation (3)
- Seven of the eight FIFA World Cups held in the Americas have been won by a CONMEBOL nation. The exception was in 2014, when Germany beat Argentina in the final
World Cup 2026: Jordan v Argentina prediction
Jordan 0-3 Argentina
Ousted Jordan see this as a chance to show their credentials in the most high-profile match in the nation’s history globally. Their displays in qualifying and the group stage suggest the scoreline will be respectable.
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