The reigning champs, Argentina, reside in Group J, but it is a deep group with lots of quality throughout. Will anyone be good enough to upset Argentina in North America, like Saudi Arabia did in Qatar?

Algeria (FIFA Rank 28)

Algeria is always one of the stronger African nations, and this year is no different. Aging star Riyad Mahrez has been putting up great numbers for Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia, but he will have lots of help on his team. Rayan Ait-Nouri and Mohamed Amoura are playing good soccer in Europe the past couple of seasons, and will get to put their game to the test on the world’s biggest stage.

Argentina (FIFA Rank 3)

The champions of the world in 2022, Argentina are returning nearly all of their players to 2026, and have been the most dominant team of the decade. It will likely be Lionel Messi’s last World Cup with the country, but players in Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez are ready to take the mantle once Messi’s playing days are over. Emiliano Martinez won the penalty shootout in the World Cup final in Qatar, and is better now than ever before. Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister headline a stacked midfield. Argentina has it all, and will look to repeat as champions for the first time since 1962.

Austria (FIFA Rank 24)

Austria’s stars are aging, but the team will be competitive in a tough group. Marcel Sabitzer has been underrated for a long time, Konrad Laimer had 15 goal contributions for Bayern Munich as a defender and David Alaba, while he didn’t play much, is still a rotation player for Real Madrid. The team’s most consistent striker for a decade, Marko Arnautovic, is 37, and may struggle finding goals when needed.

Jordan (FIFA Rank 63)

With the other teams in the group as solid as they are, first time World Cup participants Jordan may seem outmatched. They have played good teams tough recently however, losing in extra time to Morocco in the Arab Cup. It will still certainly be an uphill battle for Jordan in North America.

Official Prediction:

It is a good group, but nobody has the firepower that Argentina has, and they should top this group easily. Second is going to be a battle, but Algeria will get it due to higher attacking upside.

1. Argentina
2. Algeria
3.  Austria
4. Jordan