Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, we go through every group in the expanded 48-country field and examine the teams, highlight the most recent odds, and make predictions.
Argentina tops Group J and has avoided any serious competitors, unlike other favorites. Austria and Algeria will fight it out for the second automatic place in the next round, while Jordan will hope to play spoiler in its debut.
The reigning World Cup champions come into the 2026 event hoping to become just the third country to win back-to-back tournaments. The best World Cup betting sites believe Argentina has a great chance, with only France, Spain, and England consistently viewed as superior. While nearly everyone assumed Argentina would have to defend its crown without icon Lionel Messi, he is coming back for another shot at World Cup glory at 38 years old. Despite his age, Messi is still key to everything Argentina does.
The diminutive forward led the team in goals with 8 during a qualification run in which Argentina easily topped all of its CONMEBOL competition. There is much consistency around Messi, as Argentina is mostly unchanged from its World Cup victory and 2024 Copa América win. Lautaro Martinez led Serie A in goals this season, while the likes of Julian Alvarez and Alexis Mac Allister should help ease the burden on Messi to create. In short, Argentina has a great shot at making history.
| To Win Group | To Qualify For RO32 | To Win World Cup |
| -300 | -10000 | +800 |
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It has been 28 years since Austria last played in the World Cup, but the nation’s soccer scene has been rejuvenated under manager Ralf Rangnick. Austria had little trouble earning its World Cup spot, winning six of eight qualification matches while allowing only four goals. Rangnick utilizes relentless pressing tactics to overwhelm opponents, and his players are fully bought in. How it sustains through a tournament in intense conditions is a fair question.
Austria isn’t just reliant on its system, though. It has a handful of top talents to power its push to the knockout stage. Christoph Baumgartner has put together a great season for RB Leipzig, and he and Marcel Sabitzer will provide the service to Marko Arnautović. Arnautović is Austria’s all-time goal scorer, and even at 37, he led the team in scoring in qualifying with 8 goals. Challenging France isn’t realistic, but Austria should make a big push for second.
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Algeria returns to the World Cup after missing the last two tournaments. They made relatively light work of qualification, winning 8 of 10 games. But the team is also coming off a disappointing quarter-final AFCON exit and will be motivated to be one of the standout African teams of the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup should be a swansong for Algeria legend Riyad Mahrez. While out of his prime at 35 years old, the former Man City winger can still be a game-winner. Algeria will need to be smart about not relying too heavily on Mahrez, and it has the attacking talent elsewhere to do so. Mohamed Amoura had 10 goals in qualifying, Ibrahim Maza brings youth and creativity, and Amine Gouiri can play on the wing or alongside Amoura. Algeria should be a real threat for at least one of the eight third-place qualification spots.
| To Win Group | To Qualify For RO32 | To Win World Cup |
| +550 | -325 | +25000 |
Jordan joins the World Cup scene for the very first time, and with such a tough group, they should rightfully be happy with just the achievement. The team is coming off an impressive run to the Arab Cup finals, highlighted by wins over fellow World Cup teams like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The team’s qualification was also strong, with eight wins and five draws in 16 games.
If Jordan is to make any noise at the World Cup, Musa Al-Taamari will likely be the reason why. The Rennes winger is key to the team’s counter-attacks and the only Jordan player to play in one of Europe’s top leagues. There will be even more pressure on him with influential forward Yazan Al-Naimat out of the World due to injury. Jordan will likely be facing a swift exit, but the team should use the experience as a great stepping stone to bigger things.
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Argentina’s dominant form from the qualifiers will carry over into the group stage, as they make quick work of their opponents. Austria won’t be an easy out, but Messi and Co. will simply be too much, in our opinion. Argentina got a scare in the 2022 group stage and will be motivated to make it a far less stressful run this time.
Group J isn’t a group for shock results, in our opinion. After Argentina comfortably finishes top, Austria shouldn’t have too much trouble securing second. Its pressing tactics should overwhelm Algeria and Jordan. As we mentioned, Algeria has some serious attacking options to help secure a place in the Round of 32.
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Odds are courtesy of BetMGM and accurate at the time of writing.
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