Lionel Messi to Start on Bench in Argentina's Final Group J Match
Lionel Messi will watch the start of Argentina’s final Group J match from the sideline.
Head coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed on Saturday that his captain will not be in the starting XI against Jordan on Sunday, a rare sight in a World Cup where Messi has once again bent the tournament to his will.
“Leo will start on the bench. Leo will come in a little bit later,” Scaloni said, making it clear this is a managed pause, not a shock omission.
Messi rests, records stand
Argentina have already done the heavy lifting. Wins over Algeria and Austria sealed qualification for the Round of 32 with a game to spare, giving Scaloni the freedom to rotate in a group finale that suddenly carries more strategic value than jeopardy.
Messi has scored all five of Argentina’s goals so far in this World Cup, dragging the holders through the first phase with the familiar mix of composure and cruelty in front of goal. Those strikes have taken him to 18 World Cup goals overall across six tournaments, a staggering number layered with history.
He produced his first-ever World Cup hat-trick in the 3-0 victory over Algeria, a night that pulled him level with Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16 goals. Then came Austria in Arlington, a 2-0 win at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where Messi moved past Klose outright. The same stadium now stages Argentina’s group finale, with the new record-holder starting as spectator.
Scaloni did not reveal his full lineup or when he plans to unleash Messi against Jordan, who are making their World Cup debut and have lost their first two matches. For the coach, the calculation is simple: protect the star who defines his team, without completely removing him from the rhythm of the tournament.
Chasing legends, leaving them behind
Klose set his mark across 24 World Cup matches, finishing his fourth and final tournament by lifting the trophy in 2014 after Germany’s 1-0 extra-time win over Messi’s Argentina. A decade later, the German’s record has fallen to the same man he once denied on the sport’s biggest stage.
Kylian Mbappe has already drawn level with Klose on 16 World Cup goals, scoring twice in France’s 3-0 win over Iraq. He sits on four goals for this tournament but did not add to that tally in a 4-1 victory over Norway in his final group game.
Messi has surged past both, standing alone at 18.
His broader World Cup body of work is just as imposing. The Argentina captain has made a FIFA-record 28 World Cup appearances and has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining Just Fontaine and Jairzinho in one of the competition’s most exclusive clubs.
Managing the risk, eyeing July
All of this comes with a careful medical footnote. Messi carried a minor hamstring issue with Inter Miami into the build-up to the World Cup, a concern that slowed his preparation but has not visibly hampered him in the group stage.
Argentina, though, are planning for a long run. If La Albiceleste reach another final in this expanded 48-team tournament, they face a brutal schedule: five knockout matches in 17 days, starting next Friday in South Florida.
That context explains Sunday’s decision. Jordan may be new to this stage, but Argentina’s gaze stretches far beyond the group. Rest now, risk later. Messi on the bench is a rare sight, but for a team thinking about July 19, it might be the most important move Scaloni makes all week.
