Argentina defeated Jordan 3-1 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Saturday, June 27, 2026, to finish the group stage as Group J leaders.
Lionel Messi started the match as a substitute before entering in the second half to score a decisive free-kick goal.
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Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni rested Messi initially because the team had already secured advancement as Group J leaders, according to reports from Yahoo Noticias and TN.
Messi's family, including his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their three children, attended the match in the ultra-VIP section wearing traditional home jerseys.
Prior to the match against Jordan, Argentina secured a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday, where Messi broke the all-time World Cup scoring record by netting his 17th and 18th goals.
Former German striker Miroslav Klose, who previously held the record with 16 goals, expressed his support before the tournament started.
"I expect my record to fall in this tournament," said Klose in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Klose noted that the expanded tournament format would naturally present more opportunities for elite players to surpass historic milestones.
"With the larger field of competing teams there are more games and so more chances to score goals.
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And I assume Argentina and France will go far.
That's perfectly OK, the record will be broken eventually anyhow and Messi is welcome to be the one who does it.
I'm a big fan of Messi, always have been. Messi is a genius," said Klose.
Amid his record-breaking performances in North America, Messi also celebrated his 39th birthday during the group stage.
His wife shared a public message dedicated to the football veteran during the tournament celebrations.
"Feliz cumpleaños al amor de mi vida. Que seas muy feliz hoy y siempre.
Nosotros ya tenemos todo lo que necesitamos porque te tenemos a vos. Te amo infinito," wrote Antonela Roccuzzo.
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Argentina now advances to the round of 16 as the top team in Group J following consecutive victories over Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.
