World Cup Group J Preview, Odds & Betting Tips

The defending World Cup champions are not one of the World Cup betting favorites this summer. Instead, Argentina are listed with Brazil and Portugal among the second tier of favorites, behind Spain, France, and England. Generational superstar Lionel Messi will turn 39 in June and is definitely taking part in his last World Cup, and the national team is at a bit of a crossroads as a result.

Odds to win Group J

Argentina -300
Austria +425
Algeria +700
Jordan +6000

There’s no doubt that Argentina will be favored in every Group Stage match per the soccer betting odds. Argentina are far more talented than any other team in Group J, and their only Group Stage crash-out came in 2002. Meanwhile, Austria will be making its first World Cup appearance since 1998 thanks to being in a relatively weak qualifying group, Algeria has never made it past the Round of 16, and Jordan have some of the longest odds to win the World Cup in their debut appearance.

Odds to Win World Cup for Group J Teams

Argentina +900
Austria +17000
Algeria +45000
Jordan +255000

Three-time World Cup champions Argentina are the only Group J team with a realistic shot of winning the tournament. However, Austria and Algeria could make some noise based on their recent performances. Austria hammered Ghana 5-1 and bested South Korea 1-0 in March, while Algeria crushed Guatemala 7-0 before battling Uruguay to a scoreless draw in that same timeframe.

Match Schedule

Team Previews

Argentina

There’s no longer any doubt that Lionel Messi has been the greatest player of the 21st Century. Messi forever silenced any experts touting Cristiano Ronaldo as the better player with his performance over the last five years. He led Argentina to its first World Cup title since 1986, and his play was instrumental in La Albiceleste winning Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024. Messi has won the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year a record eight times, and he was the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner in both 2014 and 2022.

Messi is still in fine form and will make his 200th appearance for Argentina at the World Cup. His 198 caps and 116 goals are both records that will probably never be surpassed, and Argentina’s World Cup hopes largely rest on his shoulders once more.

Argentina has just two other players that have scored more than 10 goals in national duty on its World Cup roster. Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez is a solid second option to Messi with 36 goals in 75 matches, while Julian Alvarez has netted 14 goals in his 51 caps. Head coach Lionel Scaloni went heavy on Atletico Madrid forwards as Alvarez, Nicolas Gonzalez, Thiago Almada, and Giuliano Simeone all play their club football with Atleti.

Angel Di Maria will definitely be missed in the midfield. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez will likely be tasked with replacing his creativity, but Scaloni may also call upon Giovani Lo Celso, Leandro Paredes, or Messi’s Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul to fill that role.

Nicolas Otamendi will be the second-most capped player on the roster. Otamendi is 38 and can no longer move the way he did in the past, but he is reliable enough to keep his starting spot in the center of Argentina’s back line. Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero will be his partner in the middle, while Nicolas Tagliafico and Nahuel Molina will be on the wings.

The first-choice goalkeeper for Argentina will be Emiliano Martinez. He was fantastic in penalties at the 2022 World Cup, and his play led to Martinez winning the Golden Glove at the tournament. Opponents make just a shade over 50% of their penalty kicks against Martinez, giving Argentina a significant advantage in the knockout rounds. 

Austria

Marko Arnautovic has finally made it to the World Cup. Arnautovic is the most capped player in Austrian history with 132 caps, and his 47 goals are also the most in the country’s history. He played in the Bundesliga, Serie A, and the Premier League at his peak, but he is now 37 and not the goal scoring threat he was in the past. Still, Arnautovic is dangerous in the air and figures to be one of the main scoring threats alongside Michael Gregoritsch and Christoph Baumgartner.

Baumgartner has been superb for club and country this season and is coming off his most productive season yet for Red Bull Leipzig. He has 19 goals in 58 appearances for Austria, and he pairs well with Red Bull Leipzig teammate Xaver Schlager. Marcel Sabitzer is another player to watch in the midfield for Austria as he has netted 25 goals in 97 caps.

The lynchpin of the defense will be David Alaba. He has been phenomenal over the course of his professional career, spending 16 seasons at either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. Alaba has been named Austrian Footballer of the Year a record ten times, and he is versatile to boot. He will likely be paired in the center of the back line alongside Philipp Lienhart, and Lienhart appears healthy again after an abdominal injury caused him to miss two months.

Red Bull Salzburg’s Alexander Schlager has grabbed the No. 1 jersey once again after suffering an injury in Euro 2024. Schlager is not very experienced on the international stage, but neither is No. 2 Patrick Pentz. 

Algeria

Although Algeria fell to Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Fennecs are a team that could raise some eyebrows at the World Cup. Algeria has an experienced head coach that has been on this stage before in Vladimir Petkovic, and he has a few very talented players on the roster.

Captain Riyad Mahrez will be making his last appearance on the World Cup stage. Mahrez was wonderful at Leicester City and solid at Manchester City, but he has been on a slow decline over the last few years. Nevertheless, Mahrez is very dangerous on set pieces, and he can spring fellow forwards Amine Gouiri and Mohamed Amoura.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Ibrahim Maza appears to be Algeria’s next star. Maza took over for Florian Wirtz earlier this year, and the 20-year-old thrived in the opportunity. Bigger clubs are now taking a long look at him, and Maza will get a chance to increase his value this summer. The other midfielders to watch are Fares Chaibi and Hicham Boudaoui.

There is plenty of experience in the middle of the back line for Algeria. Vice captain Aissa Mandi has made 116 appearances for the national team, and Ramy Bensebaini has 81 career caps. Manchester City’s recent signing Rayan Ait-Nouri will play on the left side, but we don’t quite know who will be on the right side yet. 

Algeria have serious questions in goal. Anthony Mandrea was the first-choice goalkeeper, but he no longer plays in a top league. Zinedine Zidane’s son, Luca Zidane, looked set to take the reins, yet he suffered a concussion and had to undergo surgery for a double fracture of his chin and jaw in April. No one is quite sure what Petkovic will do at this point, and there’s a chance that someone with very little experience is given the No. 1 jersey. 

Jordan

It’s going to be very difficult for Jordan to make it into the knockout rounds of the World Cup. Jordan will be making their World Cup debut, and they only made it to this tournament because of the expanded field.

Jordan has struggled against teams outside their immediate region. They lost 1-0 to Bolivia, 4-2 to Albania, and 3-2 to Tunisia last year, and they played Costa Rica and Nigeria to 2-2 draws in late March.

Captain Musa Al-Taamari and Ali Olwan will be the primary attacking options for the Jordanians. Al-Taamari has netted 24 goals in 90 appearances and is just 28 years old, while Olwan netted a hat trick in the victory over Oman that put his country into the World Cup.

There are a lot of unknowns outside those two positions for Jordan. This is not a midfield with a lot of playmaking ability, and the back line is full of unknowns aside from Yazan Al-Arab. Ihsan Haddad is a national hero for his performance with domestic club Al-Faisaly, but the Jordanian captain has not shown an ability to hold the line against more talented attackers.