Pressure's on as Algeria, Jordan meet in World Cup match at Levi's Stadium
SANTA CLARA – The World Cup returns to Levi's Stadium on Monday night as two teams coming off opening-match losses, Algeria and Jordan, aim to stay in contention for a spot in the knockout round.
Algeria witnessed history last week as the African nation was on the receiving end of Lionel Messi's first World Cup hat trick, an indelible performance by the global superstar that lifted defending champion Argentina to a 3-0 victory in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jordan made its World Cup debut at Levi's Stadium on that same night, engaging in an entertaining match against Austria before falling 3-1.
The losses have left little-to-no margin for error in the second of three Group J matches for Algeria and Jordan, who desperately need a result to have a shot to reach the Round of 32.
The teams finish group play on Saturday, with Algeria playing Austria in Kansas City and Jordan facing Argentina in Arlington, Texas.
Argentina and Austria meet in Arlington on Monday.
Messi’s excellence aside, Algeria held up fairly well against Argentina, at least on the stat sheet. The African team possessed the ball 52% of the time, had 563 accurate passes (92%) to Argentina’s 504 (90%) and held a 43-39 advantage in duels won.
But Algeria and its goalkeeper Luca Zidane — son of former French star Zinedine Zidane — didn’t have an answer for Messi, who scored in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes.
“What made the difference is that they have a player who is ruthless, almost every chance he gets ends up in the back of the net," Algeria captain Aissa Mandi told FIFA.
The three goals gave the iconic Messi 16 in World Cup play, tying former German star Miroslav Klose’s record.
The good news for Algeria?
Messi will be nowhere near Levi’s Stadium on Monday night.
Jordan tried to make itself at home in Santa Clara against favored Austria, giving its fans among the packed house at Levi's a thrill when Ali Olwan scored in the 50th minute to even the score 1-1.
The tiny nation of 11 million kept its hopes alive for at least a point even after Yazan Al-Arab's own goal in the 76th minute gave Austria a 2-1 lead.
But Jordan couldn't find an equalizer and Austria put the score out of reach with a penalty kick goal by Marko Arnautovic deep into stoppage time.
“We didn’t make the most of our chances,” Jordan midfielder Noor Al-Rawabdeh told FIFA. "In the first half, we missed three clear opportunities to score, but we learned an important lesson from this match.
"In big games, you might only get three or four chances, and you have to take them. In the end, we gave everything we had. This was our first match at the World Cup and we are proud of our fans who came to the stadium today. I hope we can make them happy in the next match."
Jordan is ranked 68th in the latest FIFA world rankings, well beneath the others in the group. Algeria is ranked 31st, Austria 21st and Argentina first.
Algeria's roster features veteran star Riyad Mahrez, who a decade ago helped lead Leicester City to a stunning Premier League championship. In the match last week against Argentina, the 35-year-old Mahrez had 25 touches and took one shot.
Jordan's top player, Mousa Al-Tamari, attempted four shots (one on goal) and won six duels in the loss to Austria. He plays for Stade Rennais in France's Ligue 1.
In 77 appearances for Jordan, Al-Tamari has 23 goals.
Jordan reached its first World Cup by finishing second to South Korea in group play in the Asian Federation.
Algeria won its group in African qualifying to advance to its fifth World Cup but first since 2014, when it made the Round of 16 for the only time.
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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 7:12 AM.