Jordan have already been knocked out of the tournament, while Argentina are safely through to the knockout stage.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had hinted that Messi, who turned 39 three days earlier, could make an appearance from the bench during the game at AT&T Stadium.
Fresh faces have their chance
Nicolás Paz was included in the starting line-up after making his World Cup debut as a late substitute for Messi in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria in the opening game.
Overall, Scaloni made nine changes from the team that defeated Austria 2-0 in the previous match.
Messi continues to rewrite World Cup history
Messi has now played 201 international matches for Argentina, including a FIFA record 28 World Cup appearances.
He has scored in six consecutive World Cup games, becoming only the third player to achieve the feat after France’s Just Fontaine and Brazilian legend Jairzinho.
In the final round of group stage matches, Messi led the tournament’s scoring chart with five goals, all of Argentina’s goals so far.
He scored his first World Cup hat-trick against Algeria before adding his fifth goal in injury time against Austria.
A record goalscoring record
Messi’s two goals against Austria took his overall World Cup tally to 18, breaking the previous record of 16 he shared with Germany great Miroslav Klose.
This is Messi’s sixth World Cup appearance. Klose played 214 international matches in four World Cups between 2002 and 2014, with his last World Cup goal coming in Germany’s 1-0 win over Argentina in the 2014 final.
France star Kylian Mbappé equaled Klose’s tally of 16 World Cup goals by scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Iraq, just hours after Messi broke the record.
Mbappé, who is among several players with four goals in this tournament, did not score in France’s 4-1 win over Norway in their final group stage match.
Argentina prepares to challenge Cape Verde
As winners of Group J, Argentina will now face Cape Verde in the round of 32 on Friday in Miami.
It will be Cape Verde’s first appearance in a FIFA World Cup knockout match, while the game will also be played in the hometown of Messi’s MLS club.
