World Cup Group J Preview: Teams, fixtures, key players & odds

William Dobbie Updated: 1 hour ago

Group J could potentially house the World Cup winners with reigning champions Argentina set to face off against Algeria, Austria and Jordan.

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Teams

Argentina
Algeria
Austria
Jordan

Fixtures

Date	Fixture	Kick-off (BST)	Stadium
17th June	Argentina v Algeria	02:00	Kansas City Stadium
17th June	Austria v Jordan	05:00	San Francisco Bay Stadium
22nd June	Argentina v Austria	18:00	Dallas Stadium
23rd June	Jordan v Algeria	04:00	San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
28th June	Jordan v Argentina	03:00	Dallas Stadium
28th June	Algeria v Austria	03:00	Kansas City Stadium

Argentina

Three-time winners, most recently in 2022, there are few nations heading to North America with stronger credentials than Argentina this summer.

La Selección topped their notoriously tricky CONMEBOL qualification group by nine points and, of course, have arguably the greatest player of all-time, Lionel Messi, among their 26-man squad.

Manager

Lionel Scaloni

Little was known about Lionel Scaloni heading into the 2022 World Cup, however, heading into this summer, he is regarded as one of the best managers at the tournament and a massive plus to Argentina's chances.

The former West Ham loanee has won over 71% of his games in charge of Argentina, adding two Copa America titles to go alongside his World Cup win.

Key Player

Lionel Messi

The case for Messi being Argentina's key man doesn't really need explaining.

An eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, Messi added a World Cup to his glittering CV in 2022, also picking up a second Golden Ball to sit alongside the one he collected in 2014.

Now 38, Messi's best days are clearly behind him. However, this was the same four years ago when he scored seven goals and assisted three more, so write him off at your peril.

Breakout player

Nico Paz

Whilst keen followers of European football may be well aware of the talent possessed by Nico Paz, the wider world might be in for a shock when the 21-year-old gets an opportunity to strut his stuff on the World Cup stage this summer.

Paz has been one of Serie A's better players for the last two seasons and arrives in North America having starred in Cesc Fabregas' Como side that achieved qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

Odds

To win group – 1/3
To qualify – 1/50

Given the quality of opposition Argentina are set to face in their group, they are heavy odds-on to top their group.

Backers at short prices should, however, have in the back of their mind that Argentina lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in the opening match in Qatar.

Algeria

Algeria will be extremely hopeful that they can reach the knockout stages of the World Cup for just the second time this summer.

The Greens lost just once in qualifying and have impressed in recent friendly matches, defeating the Netherlands and holding Uruguay to a draw.

Manager

Vladimir Petković

Vastly experienced in the world of international management, hiring Vladimir Petkovic was quite the coup for Algeria when he was appointed manager in February 2024.

The 62-year-old enjoyed a eight-year stint as Switzerland manager between 2013 and 2021, guiding his side to a European Championship quarter-final and a Nations League finals.

Key player

Mohamed Amoura

Mohamed Amoura didn't quite have the impact that many thought he was going to at the Africa Cup of Nations but his importance to Algeria is undeniable.

His 14 goal contributions in just seven starts during qualification helped propel his side to the top of the group, meanwhile the eight goals that he managed for Bundesliga strugglers Wolfsburg was a decent return last campaign.

Breakout player

Ibrahim Maza

Another Bundesliga talent that could shine in Group J is Bayer Leverkusen forward Ibrahim Maza.

At just 20-years-old, Maza has Champions League experience under his belt and performed well at the Africa Cup of Nations, picking up two goals and an assist from four starts.

Odds

To win group – 11/2
To qualify – 4/11

Kicking off their tournament against Argentina in Kansas, starts don't come much harder for Algeria, however, a game against Jordan in the second round of fixtures is extremely winnable.

Given the format of the 48-team tournament, one win has a very realistic chance of being enough to earn a place in the knockout stages.

Austria

Austria have won three on the bounce heading into the World Cup and the mood is fairly high heading into their first tournament since 1998.

Das Team have a long history with the competition, finishing fourth and third in 1934 and 1954 respectively and, although fans might not be expecting to get that far this summer, they are likely to give a solid account of themselves.

Manager

Ralf Rangnick

Some of the football that Austria played under Ralf Rangnick at the 2024 Euros was as good as anyone at the tournament.

They narrowly fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of France in the group stage, before beating both Netherlands and Poland in the subsequent matches, scoring seven goals in the process.

Despite criticism during parts of his career, Rangnick has long been hailed as an extremely sharp footballing mind and he might just prove it this summer.

Key player

Marko Arnautovic

Whilst it might not be ideal that a 37-year-old is still viewed as your key player, the rate at which he is scoring for Austria suggests that Marko Arnautovic is still very much needed in Rangnick's setup.

Arnautovic netted eight goals in five starts during Austria's table-topping qualification campaign and is their all-time top goalscorer by a huge margin of 32 goals.

Breakout player

Carney Chukwuemeka

Born in Vienna, Carney Chukuemeka switched his international allegiance to Austria earlier this year and has picked up three caps since then.

A product of Aston Villa's academy, the 22-year-old is clearly talented, however, he hasn't been used all that much during his time at Borussia Dortmund this season. He started his Austria career positively with a goal on debut and if he kicks on from there, he could end up being a fairly important player.

Odds

To win group – 9/2
To qualify – 1/6

Win, as they are expected to do against Jordan, and avoid defeat against either Argentina and Algeria, then Austria should be comfortably assured of a place in the knockout stages.

Jordan

Jordan are one of four nations making their debut at the World Cup this summer.

The task ahead is clearly a tough one but runner-up finishes at both the West Asian Championship and Arab Cup in recent years prove that this is a footballing nation on the up.

Manager

Jamal Sellami

Former Morocco international Jamal Sellami went to the 1998 World Cup as a player, an experience that will no doubt prove invaluable to his squad.

At club level he won the Moroccan first division with Raja CA and was named Manager of the Season in both 2019/10 and 2022/23.

His achievements as manager of Jordan have had such an impact in the country that he was granted citizenship by King Abdullah II at the end of 2025.

Key player

Ali Olwan

Ali Olwan is just five goals shy of becoming Jordan's all-time top goalscorer and, at just 26, he is almost certain to chalk up that tally.

Absolutely crucial during Jordan's recent run to the final in the Arab Cup, Olwan netted a brace in the final but ultimately had to settle for second best against Morocco. His hat-trick against Oman in World Cup qualification all but cemented Jordan's appearance at the finals.

Breakout player

Odeh Al-Fakhouri

The extremely promising Odeh Al-Fakhouri looks as if he is going to be a superstar for Jordan in the future.

In February of this year, the 20-year-old joined Egyptian side Pyramids, scoring as a substitute in a 4-1 win in the CAF Champions League. Although he has started just three matches in the league so far, Fakhouri picked up a goal and two assists.

Odds

To win group – 40/1
To qualify – 12/5

Those prices tell you all you need to know about Jordan's chances this summer, however, with knockout stage qualification up for grabs through third spot, all it takes is a win.