When Jordan and Algeria walk out at Levi’s Stadium late on Monday night, they will do so with the shared knowledge that a second consecutive defeat would leave their World Cup ambitions in ruins. Both lost their opening Group J fixtures — Jordan 3-1 to Austria, Algeria 3-0 to Argentina — and the arithmetic is unforgiving. A loss for either, combined with a victory for Argentina or Austria in the group’s other match in Dallas earlier in the day, would mean elimination with one round still to play. Even a draw would leave the sides relying on favours from elsewhere, making this meeting in Santa Clara an effective knockout tie.

Jordan’s debut on football’s biggest stage began with promise when Ali Olwan cancelled out Austria’s early lead shortly after half-time, but defensive fragility undid them. An own goal by Yazan Al-Arab and a late third from the Europeans exposed the risks of the three-man backline that coach Jamal Sellami deployed. Sellami is now expected to switch to a more conventional 4-4-2, repositioning the influential Mousa Al-Tamari — the Rennes winger who is Jordan’s primary attacking threat — into a midfield role. The adjustment is designed to offer greater solidity while still feeding the pace of Olwan and Al-Tamari on the counter.

Algeria’s predicament is equally stark. The 3-0 loss to Argentina, sealed by a Lionel Messi hat-trick, left the Fennecs bottom of the group and prompted immediate scrutiny of Vladimir Petkovic’s selections. The Bosnian-born coach left captain Riyad Mahrez on the bench, introducing him only in the second half, and saw goalkeeper Luca Zidane at fault for two of the goals. Petkovic has since publicly backed Zidane — “they all have the right to make mistakes” — and indicated that Mahrez is likely to return to the starting eleven, alongside midfielder Ramiz Zerrouki, to inject experience and initiative. Algerian media have framed the match as a test of character, with former international Ali Bencheikh stating bluntly that failure to beat Jordan would confirm the team’s weakness.

Viewed from Algiers, the pressure is amplified by the memory of past World Cup feats — a victory over West Germany in 1982 and a run to the last 16 in 2014 — while Jordan, appearing at the finals for the first time, carries the hopes of a nation unburdened by such benchmarks. The match will be handled by a Slovenian officiating team led by Slavko Vincic, and broadcasters across the Arab world, Europe and the Americas will carry the feed. The simultaneous Argentina-Austria fixture in Dallas will be monitored closely: an Austrian win would eliminate Jordan if they lose, while an Argentine victory would do the same to Algeria, owing to the head-to-head tiebreaker applied by FIFA.

Whoever emerges with three points will travel to the final round of group matches with a genuine chance of reaching the last 32. Algeria will then face Austria in Kansas, while Jordan meet Argentina in Dallas. For the defeated side, the tournament will effectively be over before the third whistle blows.