Image: from Vox Liberdade X @VoxLiberdade
By Open Chronicle News Desk with Agencies
Argentina completed a flawless FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage campaign with a 3,1 victory over Jordan, as Lionel Messi came off the bench to score and seal a third consecutive win for the reigning world champions.
Already assured of qualification, head coach Lionel Scaloni rotated his squad heavily, naming only Emiliano Martínez and Lautaro Martínez from his usual starting lineup against an already eliminated Jordanian side.
Lionel Messi makes World Cup history Again 🔥
Coming off the bench against Jordan he scores a stunning free kick to reach his 19th FIFA World Cup goal.
This also extends his record to 7 consecutive World Cup matches with a goal the first player ever to do it.
Argentina finish… pic.twitter.com/lCE3DMe1br
— World Cup Out Of Context (@WorldCup__26) June 28, 2026
Despite the changes, Argentina remained comfortably in control throughout the match, extending their perfect record to three wins from three matches and confirming first place in the group.
Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring before Lautaro Martínez doubled the advantage, giving Argentina a commanding lead while several squad players took the opportunity to impress.
Scaloni introduced Lionel Messi in the 60th minute, and the captain once again made his mark by adding Argentina’s third goal to continue his impressive World Cup campaign.
Jordan managed to pull one back through captain Moussa Tamari, but the goal served only as consolation for a side that finished the tournament without earning a point.
Although the tempo of the match was relatively relaxed, with Argentina recording 12 shots compared with Jordan’s five, the evening successfully allowed Scaloni to rest key players while keeping the squad sharp ahead of the knockout rounds.
Defender Nicolás Otamendi, formerly of Benfica, made his first start of the tournament as part of Argentina’s extensively rotated lineup.
Argentina now advances to the Round of 32 with maximum points and will face one of the tournament’s biggest surprise packages, Cape Verde, whose unbeaten group stage campaign secured a historic place in the knockout rounds.
The clash promises to be one of the most intriguing fixtures of the Round of 32 as the defending champions meet the tournament debutants seeking to continue their remarkable fairytale run.