Messi to be benched on Sunday against Jordan

2026 FIFA World Cup current top scorer Lionel Messi will not start Argentina's final group match against Jordan on Sunday, manager Lionel Scaloni has confirmed.

Speaking ahead of the match in Dallas, Scaloni said the decision to rest the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was not injury-related.

"Leo [Messi] will most likely come on in the second half," he said.

"We talked and agreed that it was better that way, but obviously it's also good for him to stay in competitive form," he added.

Messi, 39, leads the Golden Boot standings with five goals from his first two matches, including a double against Austria that made him the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer.

Kylian Mbappé failed to add to his four goals in France's 4-1 win over Norway, a game that also saw Erling Haaland, who is on four goals, remain on the bench.

However, Ousmane Dembélé put himself into Golden Boot contention with a first-half hat-trick, moving to four goals for the tournament.