Jordan vs Argentina LIVE: World Cup 2026 updates as Messi starts on the bench

Argentina face Jordan in their last group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as they look to maintain their perfect 100% win record and you can follow all the action LIVE right here on ESPN.

In the simultaneous kickoff in Group J, Austria take on Algeria with it all to play for, and we'll bring you live updates from that match as well, right here.

- Messi set to play against Jordan

- World Cup 2026: Can Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo finally meet on biggest stage?

- Jordan vs. Argentina at World Cup 2026: TV channel, how to watch, kick-off time, live stream, referee

The big news, of course, is that Lionel Scaloni said Argentina's only scorer of this tournament so far, one Lionel Messi, won't start today. But his quote also offered the hope that he would come on a substitute. "Leo [Messi] will be a substitute tomorrow, to play later," he said yesterday in the pre-match press conference. He was also quick to add that "the decision of who starts tomorrow is not in relation to the opponent we'll face in the next round."

Argentina are after all confirmed winners of Group J and Scaloni might see this as a good chance to test out starlets like Nico Paz and Giuliano Simeone right from the off. He will, though, be going for it, he confirmed. "Jordan is a good opponent, and we're not taking anything for granted", he said yesterday. "We'll try to tweak some aspects of the last match, but with the same intention of controlling the ball and dominating the opponent."

Jordan, meanwhile, have already been eliminated after two battling losses to Austria and Algeria, matches in which better end product might have seen the result go the other way. They will want to take this opportunity to showcase their best football against the reigning world champions.

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