Lionel Messi extends World Cup goals record to 18 with free-kick strike in Argentina’s 3-1 win over Jordan

That’s the end of our live blog, with Argentina winning 3-1 against Jordan in the last game of Group J of the 2026 World Cup. See you next time!

The referee blows the final whistle at AT&T Stadium. Argentina closes out the group stage with a flawless perfect record after securing a 3-1 victory over Jordan. Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martinez, and Lionel Messi provided the goals for the Albiceleste, while Mousa Al-Tamari scored the lone consolation goal for the Asian side.

Five minutes of stoppage time have been added.

Husam Abu Dahab has been forced off the field on a stretcher following an apparent injury, with Ali Olwan also making way. Saleem Obaid and Mohammad Abu Zrayq enter the match as their replacements.

Refusing to sit on their lead after Messi's insurance goal, Argentina continues to orchestrate waves of attack, pinning a tiring Jordan defense deep inside their own 18-yard box.

Julian Alvarez is replaced by Juan Manuel Lopez.

After drawing a foul just outside the box, Lionel Messi stepped up and drilled a low, clinical free kick inside the far post. The tactical substitution pays off instantly, extending his all-time record to 19 World Cup goals.

Nizar Al-Rashdan leaves the field, with Amer Jamous entering in his place.

With the players back on the field, the game at Dallas Stadium resumes.

Giuliano Simeone leaves the field, with Valentin Barco entering the field.

Referee Kovacs calls for the second cooling break of the game, with players heading to the sideline.

Messi took charge of the free kick, but his shot sailed over the bar.

After a reckless tackle on Mac Allister, Yazan Alarab sees the yellow card for Jordan.

Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martinez, and Nico Paz leave the field replaced by Thiago Almada, Lionel Messi, and Alexis Mac Allister.

Following a brilliant collective buildup, Ehsan Haddad whipped a dangerous, low cross in from the right flank, and Mousa Al-Tamari timed his run perfectly to slot it home, cutting Argentina's lead to one.

Giovani Lo Celso threaded another spectacular through ball into the box for Lautaro Martinez, but a desperate sliding challenge from Jordan's backline intercepted the pass just before the striker could strike.

Lautaro Martinez rounded the goalkeeper and played a clever back pass to set up Giovani Lo Celso for an easy finish, but the Inter Milan striker was flagged offside, wiping the goal off the board.

Ali Al Azaizeh and Odeh Fakhory leave the pitch replaced by Mousa Tamari and Mahmoud Al Mardi.

Referee Kovacs blows the whistle, and the second half is underway!

Argentina heads into the locker room at Dallas Stadium with a commanding 2-0 lead over Jordan. Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring with a brilliant, deceptive free kick, and Lautaro Martinez doubled the cushion shortly after from the penalty spot.

Lautaro Martinez threaded a precise through ball to release Julian Alvarez into a dangerous scoring position, but his resulting shot went straight into the arms of Yazeed Abu Laila.

Nicolas Otamendi rose high to meet a cross, sending a dangerous header just inches wide of the far post, though the linesman's flag immediately went up for offside anyway.

Five minutes of stoppage time have been added.

After thoroughly dominating the scoring chances, Argentina has shifted gears to starve Jordan of possession, systematically slowing down the pace of the game as halftime approaches.

On a rare foray into the attacking third for Jordan, the players vociferously appealed for a penalty, claiming a handball against Giovani Lo Celso. However, the referee waved play on, maintaining Argentina's two-goal cushion.

Lautaro Martinez stepped up to the spot and calmly doubled the lead, burying a precise, crossed finish into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

Just before the header, Nizar Al-Rashdan caught Marcos Senesi in the head with a high boot. Following a rapid VAR review, referee Istvan Kovacs pointed to the spot, granting Argentina a penalty kick and booking the Jordan player.

Nicolas Tagliafico delivered a pinpoint cross to Lautaro Martinez, whose sharp volley rattled off the post. Marcos Senesi pounced on the rebound but sent his header just over the crossbar.

After the first-half cooling break, the game resumes with Argentina leading 1-0.

Referee Kovacs calls for the first cooling break of the game, with players heading to the sideline.

Giovani Lo Celso stepped up to take the free kick and completely deceived the goalkeeper, curling a precise strike into the far post to open the scoring.

Giovani Lo Celso was clattered by Mohannad Abu Taha on the edge of the box just after snatching the ball away. Abu Taha receives the first yellow card of the match for the reckless tackle.

Following a cautious start, Argentina is beginning to slice through the Jordan defense with sharp through balls and explosive diagonal runs to threaten the opener.

Julian Alvarez threaded a beautiful through ball to Giovani Lo Celso, who finished with a spectacular trivela strike. However, the goal was immediately disallowed for offside, keeping the match scoreless.

While Argentina continues to heavily dictate the tempo and dominate possession, neither side has managed to create a clear-cut scoring opportunity in the opening stages of the match.

Referee Istvan Kovacs blows the whistle, and game between Jordan and Argentina is underway!

Poised to step into Lionel Messi's creative role on the pitch tonight, Nico Paz is making his fifth career start for the Argentina national team. In doing so, the 2026 World Cup debutant has carved his name into the Albiceleste history books with a near-record-breaking milestone.

According to OptaJoe, Paz has become the youngest player to start a World Cup match for Argentina since Lionel Messi, taking the field today at 21 years and 292 days old. That historic top spot still belongs to Messi himself, who made his first World Cup start back in the 2006 tournament at just 18 years and 362 days old.

After scoring all five of Argentina's goals in the competition so far, Lionel Messi will start tonight's match against Jordan on the substitute bench. However, the Inter Miami superstar is fully expected to make an impact on the field as a second-half reinforcement.

During Friday's press conference, head coach Lionel Scaloni stated that "Leo will come on later," virtually guaranteeing the legendary playmaker will log some minutes tonight. In the meantime, Como standout and future Real Madrid star Nico Paz will fill his role in the creative midfield.

Romanian official Istvan Kovacs has been appointed to referee Saturday's World Cup clash between Jordan and Argentina. This assignment marks the first time in his career that Kovacs will oversee a match involving either nation, and it serves as his second career World Cup fixture on the pitch.

His tournament debut came earlier in the group stage during Japan's 4-0 shutout of Tunisia, a historic assignment that officially marked the 1,000th World Cup match played in history.

Match officials:

Referee: Istvan Kovacs.
1st Assistant: Mihai Marica.
2nd Assistant: Ferencz Tunyogi.
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida.
Fifth Official: Jerson Santos.
VAR: Bram Van Driessche.
AVAR: Fedayi San.
SVAR: Marco Di Bello.

With the first place already secured, head coach Lionel Scaloni rotates the squad to face Jordan (4-4-2): Emiliano Martínez; Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Senesi, Nicolas Tagliafico; Nico Paz, Leandro Paredes, Exequiel Palacios, Giovani Lo Celso; Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez.

Head coach Jamal Sellami has chosen the eleven players that'll face Argentina looking for its first point in the history of the World (3-4-3): Yazeed Abu Laila; Abdallah Nasib, Yazan Al Arab Husam Ali Mohammad; Ehsan Haddad, Nizar Al Rashdan, Noor Al Rawabdeh, Mohannad Abu Taha; Ali Al Azaizeh, Ali Olwan, Odeh Fakhoury.

Tonight's group-stage clash marks the first time in history these two nations will face each other, and there is no grander stage for a maiden meeting than the 2026 World Cup. Even without prior head-to-head history, the historical numbers heavily favor Argentina over their Asian opponents.

With Jordan entering the tournament as one of the few debutant nations in the field, Argentina's track record against first-time qualifiers is incredibly dominant. Throughout World Cup history, the Albiceleste have squared off against 15 debutant nations, racking up a commanding record of 13 wins, one draw, and just a single defeat, which dates all the way back to a 1934 loss against Sweden.

While most teams head into Matchday 3 of the 2026 World Cup group stage fighting to secure a top-two spot or chasing a wild-card berth as a best third-placed finisher, that tension is completely absent here. This matchup between Jordan and Argentina features two squads whose final group fates have already been mathematically sealed.

Following consecutive shutouts against Algeria (3-0) and Austria (2-0), Argentina has comfortably locked up the top spot in the group, whereas Jordan's competitive run is over after defeats to Austria (3-1) and Algeria (2-1). Sitting at the bottom of the table with zero points, the Asian debutants are playing strictly for pride, as no outcome tonight can alter the final standings in Group J.

The game between Jordan and Argentina will kick off at 10 PM (ET).

You can watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup live on Fubo, DirecTV Stream, Sling, Peacock Premium, FOX, Telemundo and Hulu + Live TV.

Welcome to our live blog for the Matchday 3 Group J clash between Jordan and Argentina at Dallas Stadium. Stay with us for key updates and live minute-by-minute coverage!