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Messi Benched vs Jordan as Argentina Secures Top Spot

6/27/2026

28 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Messi Benched vs Jordan

Lionel Scaloni said Lionel Messi will sit on the bench for the June 27, 2026 match against Jordan.
Argentina has clinched Group J’s top spot, so the result won’t affect qualification.
Messi, 39, has scored all five goals, with a hat-trick versus Algeria and two versus Austria.
Scaloni said the bench move is not injury-related, will let others start, and Messi will enter later before Argentina meets Group H runner-up in the round of 32.

Summary

Argentina Meets CapeVerde

Argentina will meet Cape Verde, the Group H runner-up, in the round of 32 after the Jordan game.
Coach Lionel Scaloni said Jordan’s five-defender setup may force tactical adjustments and that fringe players will get minutes in the dead-rubber match.
In Kansas City, the squad held a final session on set-piece drills, with centre-back Cristian Romero sitting out and veteran Nicolas Otamendi set to start.

History

Historical Context

At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Germany’s manager Joachim Löw started Thomas Müller in the group match against Sweden, then rotated the squad for the final game—a tactic echoing his earlier reliance on the youthful core that won in 2010 and 2014. Germany’s early exit was only the second group-stage elimination since 1938, highlighting the risk of preserving stars for later rounds.

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Messi Benched vs Jordan

Lionel Scaloni said Lionel Messi will sit on the bench for the June 27, 2026 match against Jordan.
Argentina has clinched Group J’s top spot, so the result won’t affect qualification.
Messi, 39, has scored all five goals, with a hat-trick versus Algeria and two versus Austria.
Scaloni said the bench move is not injury-related, will let others start, and Messi will enter later before Argentina meets Group H runner-up in the round of 32.

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