Argentina will take on Jordan in the final group match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Dallas on Saturday.
Argentinian talisman Lionel Messi starts from the bench against Jordan, which has already been eliminated from the World Cup.
Why doesn’t Messi start against Jordan?
Argentina has already advanced to the Round of 32 as group toppers, after previously beating Austria and Algeria.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said on Friday, two days after Messi’s 39th birthday, that the team captain will start the match on the bench, but also indicated that Messi «will come in a little later.»
Scaloni did not say when Messi might come on in the match, or what his line-up would be against Jordan, playing for the first time at the World Cup, who lost their first two matches.
Messi had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury while playing for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, which delayed him in the run-up to the World Cup.
Although there has been no indication of trouble since then, Argentina still has many games left if it wants to reach another World Cup final. The knockout round for La Albiceleste begins next Friday in South Florida, and in this expanded 48-team tournament, that would be the first of five matches in 17 days if they reach the finals on July 19.
Published on June 28, 2026
