Group J is all about one question above everything else: will Lionel Messi bow out as a two-time world champion? Arguably the greatest footballer who ever lived – eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, the man who completed his collection in Qatar 2022 in one of the greatest finals ever played – will turn 39 during this tournament and this is almost certainly his last World Cup. Argentina, the defending champions, arrive with a squad packed with quality and a settled system. Yet, they don’t come into the tournament as favourites on Naturally, they come into the Group trading as heavy favourites on BETDAQ EXCHANGE WORLD CUP – they are joint-fourth favourites behind France, Spain and England. At the time of writing, they are trading 10.5 along with Brazil to win Outright. They are trying to become the first men’s team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup title. The history books are stacked against them though; three of the last four defending champions were eliminated in the Group stage. They do have a pretty easy Group here though against Austria, Algeria and Jordan. Although who could forget them losing to Saudi Arabia at the Group stage of the last World Cup!
Group J
• Argentina
• Austria
• Algeria
• Jordan
🇦🇷 Argentina (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 3rd)
Argentina qualified by topping the CONMEBOL round robin – the world’s toughest qualifying competition. The defending Champions seem to be arriving into the World Cup in a very good spot. Lionel Scaloni has built one of the most cohesive and tactically flexible international sides of the modern era. The squad is excellent – a lot of football fans might feel that the 10.5 is too big on Argentina to defend their title! Lionel Messi (pictured below), at Inter Miami in MLS now, will be making his sixth World Cup appearance – a record for any male player – and he has not yet confirmed whether this will definitely be his last, though the assumption is it will be surely. Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid is one of the sharpest and most intelligent strikers in the world. Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan provides another elite goal threat. Obviously the history book is against them in terms of defending their title, but they do tick a lot of boxes. They had a slow start in 2022 before winning; it would be a surprise if they didn’t win all three games here. The are 1.38 to be Group J Winner. The Group draw for Argentina is among the kindest any champion has received in a generation.
🇦🇹 Austria (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 24th)
Austria’s wait of 28 years to return to the World Cup is finally over, and it could not come at a more emotional time for three of the nation’s greatest ever players. David Alaba, Marcel Sabitzer and Marko Arnautovic – the first, second and sixth most-capped players in Austrian history respectively – had all come so close to the World Cup across multiple qualifying cycles without ever getting there. Now, under Ralf Rangnick (pictured below), they have finally made it. Rangnick has rebuilt Austria as a high intensity pressing machine. We all know Rangnick from his time at Manchester United; he told some truths at the time and most United fans didn’t want to hear. You could even argue United have the same merry-go-round going on given they are in the new manager honeymoon period again now. The qualifying numbers are impressive – they topped their Group with 19 points, conceding just four goals in eight games, the joint-best defensive record of any European qualifying Group winner. But to be honest, they did have an easy Group – Bosnia were second and Romania third. Whether they have enough firepower to really trouble Argentina in a big question. However, against Algeria and Jordan, they should be more than capable of taking six points to finish second.
🇩🇿 Algeria (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 28th)
Algeria are back at the World Cup for the first time since 2014, when they reached the Round of 16 before losing to Germany in extra time – still their best performance at a World Cup. They qualified by winning their CAF group, going unbeaten and finishing seven points clear of Uganda – quite limited opposition in that qualifying Group. The headline name is Riyad Mahrez (pictured below), who moved to the Saudi Pro League from Manchester City in 2023 and is in the twilight of his career. Alongside him, Man City’s Rayan Ait-Nouri provides pace and quality from left back or left wing. Obviously they aren’t far away from Austria in terms of FIFA Rankings, but I don’t see the sides being too close on the pitch. You can get 10.0+ on them winning Group J. Surely the plan has to be to beat Jordan and try to pick up a draw – four points will surely get you into one of the eight best third placed finishers.
🇯🇴 Jordan (🔢 FIFA Ranking: 63rd)
Jordan are making their first ever appearance at a World Cup, completing an incredible journey through the AFC qualifying process. They finished second to South Korea in their qualifying Group – above Iraq. Jordan were runners-up at the AFC Asian Cup in 2023, so they are on an upward curve. It’s hard to see them really competing here though, and they are the rank outsiders at 50.0+ to win Group J. Their star player is Musa Al-Taamari (pictured below) of Rennes, a rapid winger who has proven he can compete in Ligue 1 at the highest level. Playing Argentina on June 27th will almost certainly be an occasion to savour rather than a competitive battle, but the whole tournament is a reward in itself for a nation that has waited so long for this moment. How competitive they will be, that’s another matter.
GROUP J BETTING PREDICTION
Who Will Top Group J And Who Will Qualify From Group J?
Argentina are the red-hotmarket favourites to win Group J, trading around 1.38 to top the group. Austria are next at around 5.8, with Algeria at around 10.0 and Jordan at around 50.0+. It’s very hard to see past Argentina winning this Group; Austria are their only real danger in my opinion. They have won their last dozen competitive matches. Scaloni has the most settled and cohesive squad in the tournament. And I said above, the group draw – Algeria, Austria and Jordan – is among the kindest a defending champion has ever received. I know we had a shock with Saudi Arabia last time, but I don’t see that being repeated here. I’d be happy with a confident bet at 1.38, and happy to include them in any Acca too.
We might have an Austria v Algeria battle for second, but I see Austria coming out on top in that. Austria have the tactical structure and the Bundesliga experience to control that kind of game, and Rangnick’s pressing system has proven it can disrupt even stronger sides. Group J is all about Argentina though!
The Ultra Says:
Four points win Argentina Group J Winner at 1.38 with BETDAQ EXCHANGE WORLD CUP
