Why Lionel Messi Isn’t Playing for Argentina vs. Jordan-2026 World Cup
Sports Illustrated • • general
Key Points:
- Argentina will face Jordan in their final 2026 World Cup group stage match with Lionel Messi starting on the bench, despite being the tournament's leading goalscorer with five goals so far.
- Messi has delivered outstanding performances in the first two games, scoring a hat-trick against Algeria and two goals against Austria, making him the greatest goalscorer in World Cup history.
- Coach Lionel Scaloni is managing Messi’s workload due to his recent 39th birthday and to give other squad members playing time in a match where Argentina has already secured the top spot in Group J.
- Argentina's lineup against Jordan features several rotated players, including a midfield trio of Giovanni Lo Celso, Leandro Paredes, and Exequiel Palacios, while Messi is expected to come on as a substitute.
- Argentina is set to face Cabo Verde in the round of 32, where Scaloni plans to field his strongest team with Messi leading the charge for a consecutive World Cup title.
