Who: Argentina vs Austria
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match
Where: Dallas Stadium, Dallas, Texas
When: Monday, 12 pm local time (17:00 GMT)
How to follow: Pre‑match coverage begins at 14:00 GMT on Al Jazeera Sport.
Hat‑trick hero Lionel Messi returns on Monday as defending champions Argentina take on Austria in their second Group J encounter in Dallas.
Messi, 38, stunned the world with a three‑goal performance against Algeria in Kansas City, becoming the first player to score a hat‑trick at a FIFA tournament. The Argentine forward, now playing for Inter Miami in MLS, celebrates his 200th international cap.
Austrian coach Ralf Rangnick’s side will aim to test the South American giants after beating Jordan in their opening game.
Both teams arrive in Kansas City knowing that a win would almost guarantee progression to the knockout round.
Messi’s magic continues
The Argentine captain matched Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the all‑time leading scorer in World Cup history with his three goals against Algeria. He now sits on 16 World Cup goals.
Messi has spent the bulk of his club career at Barcelona, later moved to Paris Saint‑Germain, and currently stars for Inter Miami.
Algeria lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, claiming Messi should have been sent off for standing on the calf of captain Aïssa Mandi.
Austria aware of threats beyond Messi
Captain David Alaba emphasized that Argentina’s quality extends beyond their talismanic number 10.
Austria will rely on an organised pressing game to disrupt Argentina’s rhythm and strengthen their claim as potential group winners.
In their opening match, Austria edged Jordan 3‑1, with Marko Arnautovic netting a 102nd‑minute penalty.
Argentina assistant coach Pablo Aimar warned that Rangnick’s side is physical and will pose a different challenge than Algeria.
Match prediction
Opta’s model favours Argentina, assigning them a 60.1 % chance of victory, a 22.4 % chance of a draw, and a 17.6 % chance for Austria. The data also rank Argentina as the fourth‑favorite to win the tournament.
Broadcast information
- Argentina: Telefe, TV Pública, TyC Sports (2 pm Argentina Time)
- Austria: ORF, ServusTV (7 pm CEST)
- United Kingdom: BBC One, BBC iPlayer (6 pm BST)
- United States: Fox Sports, Telemundo (1 pm EDT)
Group J standings
Group J consists of Argentina, Austria, Algeria and Jordan.
Argentina and Austria each have three points, with Argentina leading on goal difference. Jordan and Algeria remain winless.
The top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third‑placed sides, advance to the round of 32.
Recent form
Last five games, most recent first
Argentina: W W W W W
Austria: W ‑ W ‑ W ‑ W D
Both sides arrive in strong form; Argentina have won eight straight matches, conceding only once, while Austria have won all of their pre‑World Cup friendlies.
Head‑to‑head
The teams have never met in a competitive fixture. Their two prior meetings were friendlies in Vienna, with Argentina winning 5‑1 in 1980 and drawing 1‑1 a decade later.
Team news
Argentina: Right‑back Gonzalo Montiel is a doubt with a hamstring issue; Nahuel Molina is likely to replace him.
Austria: Right‑back Stefan Posch is unlikely to play after sustaining a broken jaw.
Marko Arnautovic is expected to start after a bench appearance against Jordan.
Predicted line‑ups
Argentina: Emi Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Facundo Medina; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Thiago Almada; Lionel Messi (c), Lautaro Martínez.
Austria: Alexander Schlager; Konrad Laimer, Philipp Lienhart, David Alaba (c), Philipp Mwene; Nicolás Seiwald, Xaver Schlager; Romano Schmid, Carney Chukwuemeka, Marcel Sabitzer; Sasa Kalađžić.
