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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is larger than ever before at 48 teams, and that necessitates four more groups than the previous World Cup.
Enter Groups I, J, K and L.
While Group J might sound unnatural for ardent fans of the World Cup, it houses Lionel Messi and defending champions Argentina.
Here’s a complete guide to Group J’s four teams and match schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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World Cup Group J scheduleGroup J tablePosTeamPTSGPWLDGFGAGD1.Argentina000000002.Algeria000000003.Austria000000004.Jordan00000000Group J fixturesDateTime (ET)MatchLocationTue, June 16 Argentina vs. AlgeriaArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)Tue, June 16 Austria vs. JordanArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)Mon, June 22 Argentina vs. AustriaAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Mon, June 22 Jordan vs. AlgeriaAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Fri, June 27 Jordan vs. ArgentinaArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)Fri, June 27 Algeria vs. AustriaArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
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World Cup Group J teamsArgentina
With Lionel Messi as the undisputed star, Argentina are among the favorites to win the title again. The Inter Miami number 10 is the captain of the team led by Lionel Scaloni, who will bet on maintaining the core of the winning group from Qatar 2022 with some new additions.
The current world champions have enjoyed a successful run since December 18, 2022, winning the 2024 Copa America and finishing top of the South American qualifiers. This project, which continues to be led by Scaloni, has managed to bring together a generation with experience and authority with the drive of new figures looking to continue the legacy.
Those who could enjoy their first World Cup include Franco Mastantuono, Nicolas Paz, Giuliano Simeone, Leo Balerdi and Valentin Barco, among others. Only two teams have managed to win consecutive World Cups: Italy (1934-1938) and Brazil (1958-1962). Argentina certainly have the quality and experience to become the third.
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
Algeria
Algeria have climbed back into football’s top tier, ending a 12-year wait to rejoin the world’s elite. With Riyad Mahrez wearing the armband and ex-Switzerland boss Vladimir Petkovic calling the shots, the Desert Foxes sealed their return to the World Cup with a commanding 3-0 victory over Somalia, clinching top spot in Group G and punching their first ticket since 2014.
This will mark Algeria’s fifth appearance on the biggest stage, though they’ve only escaped the group phase once, that memorable 2014 run that ended with a gritty round-of-16 battle against Germany.
Petkovic, appointed in February 2024, arrives with a deep coaching resume shaped across Swiss football, including notable stints with Bellinzona and Young Boys. His experience now fuels Algeria’s ambitions as they step back onto the global stage.
Current FIFA world ranking: 35Regional ranking: 6th (CAF)World Cup titles: 0World Cup appearances (last): 4 (2014)How qualified: 1st, CAF qualifying Group G: 8W-1L-1DCoach: Vladimir Petkovic (Switzerland) since February 2024Key player(s): Rayan Ait-Nouri (Manchester City), Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli), Amine Gouiri (Marseille)Austria
One of the most obvious beneficiaries of the expansion to 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup is Austria. Qualifying for their first finals since 1998, they snuck in at the bottom of Pot 2 and will be a threat to any top team’s hopes of not only topping their group but escaping the early knockout stages as well.
National-team stars Marko Arnautovic, Marcel Sabitzer and David Alaba are all on the wrong side of 30, and likely have just this chance to enjoy the bright lights of the World Cup. Naturally, they’ll hope to make the most of this opportunity to shine.
Despite being in the twilight of their international careers, these international centurions (Sabitzer will aim to reach triple-digit caps at the tournament itself) are still capable of wrecking the tournament of a higher-ranked side on their best day — just ask France, who, despite beating Austria in their group opener at Euro 2024, would wind up second behind the Burschen in the final group standings.
Current FIFA world ranking: 24thRegional ranking: 12th (UEFA)World Cup titles: 0World Cup appearances (last): 7 (France 1998)How qualified: UEFA Group H winners: 6W-1D-1LCoach: Ralf Rangnick (Austria) since April 2022Key player(s): Marcel Sabitzer (Dortmund), David Alaba (Real Madrid), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich)Jordan
Having qualified for their first-ever World Cup, Jordan are looking to prove they belong. While many will argue they benefited from the expansion to 48 teams, Jordan qualified in the third round of AFC qualification, ahead of more established Asian national teams like Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Fifty-five-year-old head coach Jamal Sellami is in his first national-team job, having led Moroccan club FUS Rabat for three years previously. However, the Jordan national team has been on the rise since before his arrival in the summer of 2024. They reached their first-ever major tournament final in 2023, falling to Qatar at the AFC Asian Cup, having beaten South Korea and Iraq on the way.
Their roster is experienced, with many players having logged over 50 international caps. They are largely made up of players contracted to Jordanian clubs, although there are a number at teams in Iraq, Qatar, and Kuwait, while a few play in Europe or the Far East.
Current FIFA world ranking: 66Regional ranking: 9th (AFC)World Cup titles: 0World Cup appearances (last): 0How qualified: AFC Third Round Group B runners-up: 4W-2L-4DCoach: Jamal Sellami (Morocco) since June 2024Key player(s): Yazan Al-Naimat (Al-Arabi), Yazan Al-Arab (FC Seoul), Musa Al-Taamari (Rennes)World Cup Group J odds and predictions
Here are the odds for each team in Group J to win and qualify from the group, with odds courtesy of DraftKings. These odds will be updated once the draw is complete.
TeamGroup WinnerTo QualifyWin titleArgentina-370 +8000Algeria+350 +20000Austria+1000 +15000Jordan+5000 +250000
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World Cup 2026 bracket for Group J
The winner of Group J will enter the knockout stage bracket on the bottom half, scheduled to take on the runner-up of Group H.
The Group J runner-up enters the top half of the bracket and will meet the winner of Group H.
The third-place finisher in Group J has five potential landing spots in the bracket, but only eight groups will have a third-place qualifier for the knockout stage.
Until all third-place qualifiers are known, it is impossible to predict where or when they could potentially play because there are 495 mathematical combinations of third place qualifiers. 330 of them involve a team from Group J. All of these have been spelled out in advance, and every potential outcome can be found in Annex C (pg. 80) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup regulations.
Round of 32DateMatchLocationSun, Jun. 28M1: 2nd, Group A vs. 2nd, Group BSoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)Mon, Jun. 29M2: 1st, Group E vs. 3rd place finisherGillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)Mon, Jun. 29M3: 1st, Group F vs. 2nd, Group CEstadio BBVA (Guadalupe, MEX)Mon, Jun. 29M4: 1st, Group C vs. 2nd, Group FNRG Stadium (Houston, TX)Tue, Jun. 30M5: 1st, Group I vs. 3rd place finisherMetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)Tue, Jun. 30M6: 2nd, Group E vs. 2nd, Group IAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Tue, Jun. 30M7: 1st, Group A vs. 3rd place finisherEstadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)Wed, Jul. 1M8: 1st, Group L vs. 3rd place finisherMercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)Wed, Jul. 1M9: 1st, Group D vs. 3rd place finisherLevi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)Wed, Jul. 1M10: 1st, Group G vs. 3rd place finisherLumen Field (Seattle, WA)Thu, Jul. 2M11: 2nd, Group K vs. 2nd, Group LBMO Field (Toronto, CAN)Thu, Jul. 2M12: 1st, Group H vs. 2nd, Group JSoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)Thu, Jul. 2M13: 1st, Group B vs. 3rd place finisherBC Place (Vancouver, CAN)Fri, Jul. 3M14: 1st, Group J vs. 2nd, Group HHard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)Fri, Jul. 3M15: 1st, Group K vs. 3rd place finisherArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)Fr, Jul. 3M16: 2nd, Group D vs. 2nd, Group GAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Round of 16DateMatchLocationSat, Jul. 4M1: Winner, R32 M2 vs. Winner, R32 M5Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)Sat, Jul. 4M2: Winner, R32 M1 vs. Winner, R32 M3NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)Sun, Jul. 5M3: Winner, R32 M4 vs. Winner, R32 M6MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)Sun, Jul. 5M4: Winner, R32 M7 vs. Winner, R32 M8Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)Mon, Jul. 6M5: Winner, R32 M11 vs. Winner, R32 M12AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Mon, Jul. 6M6: Winner, R32 M9 vs. Winner, R32 M10Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)Tue, Jul. 7M7: Winner, R32 M14 vs. Winner, R32 M16Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)Tue, Jul. 7M8: Winner, R32 M13 vs. Winner, R32 M15BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)QuarterfinalsDateMatchLocationThu, Jul. 9QF1: Winner, R16 M1 vs. Winner, R16 M2Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)Fri, Jul. 10QF2: Winner, R16 M5 vs. Winner, R16 M6SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)Sat, Jul. 11QF3: Winner, R16 M3 vs. Winner, R16 M4Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)Sat, Jul. 11QF4: Winner, R16 M7 vs. Winner, R16 M8Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)SemifinalsDateMatchLocationTue, Jul. 14SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF2AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Wed, Jul. 15SF2: Winner, QF3 vs. Winner, QF4Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)Third place matchDateMatchLocationSat, Jul. 18Loser, SF1 vs. Loser, SF2Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)FinalDateMatchLocationSun, Jul. 19Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
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