Argentina vs Austria World Cup 2026 preview

Argentina vs Austria will kick off on 22 Jun 2026, 13:00 EST and 17:00 GMT. The fixture at AT&T Stadium in Arlington will be the first meeting between the two nations. Argentina opened their campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Algeria as Lionel Messi scored a stunning hat-trick to mark his 200th cap, while Austria beat Jordan 3-1 at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Marko Arnautovic coming on as a second-half substitute and converting a stoppage-time penalty to seal the result.

Lionel Scaloni, who led Argentina to World Cup success in 2022, aims to become the first manager to win the tournament back-to-back since Vittorio Pozzo in 1938. Messi has 27 World Cup appearances and joins Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the only male players to appear at a sixth edition.

The Argentina squad features Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez in midfield, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, defenders Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez, and attacking options including Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.

United States, Arlington, Texas

argentina, austria, world cup, lionel messi, messi hat-trick, 200th cap, lionel scaloni, at&t stadium, emiliano martinez, enzo fernandez