Argentina's Lionel Messi will be left out of the starting lineup for the team's final Group J match against Jordan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be played Saturday Korea time.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni said he plans to start the match with Messi on the bench and bring him on as a substitute in the second half.
The Associated Press reported Friday that Argentina, the defending champion that has secured a spot in the round of 32 as the Group J leader, will not field Messi in the starting lineup for its final group-stage match against Jordan.
The decision is seen as intended to manage the fitness of Messi, who sustained a minor thigh injury before the tournament, while keeping him match-sharp.
Despite being left out of the starting lineup, Messi is in a favorable position in the race for top scorer.
Messi has scored all five of Argentina's goals in the first and second group-stage matches, putting him alone atop the tournament's scoring chart. He followed a hat-trick against Algeria (a 3-0 win) with two goals against Austria (a 2-0 win). With this, Messi surpassed Miroslav Klose (Germany, 16 goals) to set an all-time record of 18 career World Cup goals.
His rivals stayed scoreless in their final matches. In the Group I finale played the same day, France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland both failed to add to their tallies. France beat Norway 4-1, but Mbappe managed only two assists, while Haaland did not play.
In the scoring race, Messi (5 goals) leads, while four players — Mbappe, Haaland, Vinicius Junior (Brazil) and Ousmane Dembele (France) — share second place with four goals. Attention is on whether Messi, expected to come on as a second-half substitute, can widen his lead over the chasing pack in the Jordan match.
