Preview: Jordan vs. Algeria - prediction, team news, lineups

Around a week after their 2026 World Cup opening defeats, Algeria and debutants Jordan meet on Monday night at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, each seeking a first Group J victory.

The North African side, who are given a superior chance of finishing third in our World Cup betting guide, were undone by a Lionel Messi masterclass, while Jordan battled admirably against Austria before conceding twice late on in a 3-1 reverse.

Match preview

Although they ultimately lost 3-1 to Austria on their World Cup debut, Jordan remained in the contest until the 12th minute of second-half stoppage time.

While that offers only scant consolation, it underlined that Al Nashama can be competitive at this level, having pushed Ralf Rangnick's men all the way.

Still based in Santa Clara, the West Asian side now face Algeria, aiming to be just as competitive against the North African outfit.

However, the Chivalrous Ones' failure to win any match since mid-December must trouble supporters, who are clinging to hopes of a memorable first World Cup victory at the expense of the Fennecs.

The outlook may not be encouraging for Jamal Sellami's side, given that the West Asian team have not kept a clean sheet during their six-match winless run, conceding at least twice in every game and losing four of those fixtures.

Algeria will look to exploit those defensive frailties as they attempt to move on from their own tournament-opening disappointment, a 3-0 defeat to Argentina on their World Cup return.

The two-time African champions had not featured at the global finals since their 2014 campaign, which ended with an extra-time defeat to eventual winners Germany in the round of 16.

Their prospects against Messi and company were not helped by Luca Zidane's error-strewn display, with the goalkeeper at fault for two of the defending champions' goals.

Nonetheless, with that setback now behind them, Vladimir Petkovic's men will hope to show a far better version of themselves after failing to lay a glove on Lionel Scaloni's Argentina in Kansas City.

Algeria's run of early World Cup exits ended at the fourth attempt in 2014, and they now aim to secure a victory that would put them on the brink of back-to-back appearances in the knockout stage, though they would still need a positive result in their final Group J game against Austria.

Jordan World Cup form:

Jordan form (all competitions):

Algeria World Cup form:

Algeria form (all competitions):

Team News

Abdallah Nasib will be assessed after going off with a suspected injury against Austria, meaning Sellami could be forced into a change in his three-man backline.

Fresh from scoring his nation's first goal at a World Cup finals, Ali Olwan is expected to retain his place for the Chivalrous Ones' second-ever match at the global showpiece.

That strike was Olwan's 30th at international level, six more than Rennes team-mate Musa Al Taamari, who has 24, and both players head into Monday night's fixture as the only members of the Jordan squad to have reached double figures for goals.

While Jordan relied on their leading lights against Austria, Petkovic made the slightly surprising decision to leave Mohamed Amoura on the bench until the hour mark, despite the forward scoring 10 goals in World Cup qualifying, more than any other player.

Riyad Mahrez may be the team captain, but his omission from the starting XI was less of a shock, as the former Manchester City winger is no longer the force he once was, although Anis Hadj Moussa could make way for the veteran wide man on Monday.

The Fennecs did not suffer any apparent injuries in the defeat by Argentina, so any changes Petkovic makes are expected to be tactical rather than enforced.

Jordan possible starting lineup:

Abu Laila; Al Rousan, Al Arab, Abualnadi; Haddad, Al Rashdan, Al Rawabdeh, Abu Taha; Fakhoury, Olwan; Tamari

Algeria possible starting lineup:

Zidane; Belghali, Mandi, Bensebaini, Ait Nouri; Boudaoui, Zerrouki, Bentaleb; Mahrez, Amoura, Maza

We say: Jordan 1-3 Algeria

Algeria may have limited World Cup pedigree, but the African nation can call on a broader pool of superior match-deciding talent.

Given that their West Asian opponents have conceded at least two goals in every game since the middle of last year, the two-time African champions are fancied to score multiple times to secure victory and eliminate Sellami's side.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.