FIFA World Cup

ARG Argentina Argentina - AUT Austria Austria

Argentina Argentina

Austria Austria

L. Messi
90' +5'

L. Messi
38'
L. Messi
9'

Dallas Stadium(Sold out)

Amin Mohamed Omar

Full-time: Argentina 2-0 Austria

A Messi brace makes it two wins from two for Argentina, who put in another assured performance to grab the win. Austria looked short of ideas going forward despite enjoying good spells of possession, with Argentina happy to counter them when the opportunity arose. Messi's second goal was a result of his side's patience, as he tidied up following Álvarez's late miss from a swift breakaway.

End of second half

Full-time

90'

+ 5

Messi strikes the hammer blow!

Argentina confirm all three points will be headed their way right at the death. A counter attack puts Álvarez one-on-one with Schlager, who denies him but sees the rebound fall to Messi, who sees his first attempt at goal blocked before firing past a crowd of Austria defenders to double the lead.

90'

+ 5

Lionel Messi

GOAL!

2:0

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

25 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

7.32 m

90'

+ 3

Wimmer wide!

Danso heads back across the box from a Sabitzer free-kick, where Wimmer then glances his header wide of the far post.

90'

+ 2

Yellow card

Leandro Paredes

90'

+ 1

Five more minutes

Can Austria find an equaliser?

87'

Golden chance!

González breaks away down the left before coming inside and firing his shot right at the leg of the recovering Danso.

85'

Substitution

Carney Chukwuemeka

Michael Gregoritsch

82'

No luck

Austria win another corner, but Sabitzer's delivery is headed clear.

82'

Substitution

Nicolás Tagliafico

Facundo Medina

82'

Substitution

Leandro Paredes

Rodrigo de Paul

79'

Substitution

Patrick Wimmer

Romano Schmid

77'

Stepping up

Austria have shown initiative, but Argentina's lead doesn't look under threat just yet.

Corners

76'

Yellow card

Konrad Laimer

76'

Yellow card

Facundo Medina

74'

Flashed wide!

Messi's out-swinging corner meets the head of González, who guides his header just past the far post.

73'

Ball rolling again

Action has resumed.

70'

Second break

The second hydration break is taking place.

68'

Substitution

Marco Friedl

David Alaba

68'

Substitution

Alexander Prass

Stefan Posch

68'

Substitution

Marko Arnautović

Paul Wanner

67'

Headed over

A lofted cross from Sabitzer to the back post finds Gregoritsch, but he can't test the 'keeper with his attempt, which goes comfortably over.

65'

Substitution

Nico González

Lautaro Martínez

64'

Substitution

Julián Álvarez

Thiago Almada

Plugging away

Austria are maintaining possession well, but also look susceptible to counter attacks.

58'

Substitution

Nicolás Otamendi

Cristian Romero

57'

Shut out

Austria have struggled to create shooting opportunities.

Goal attempts

1off target

2on target

2off target

1on target

56'

Martínez punches clear

Sabitzer fires the free-kick toward goal, forcing the 'keeper into a good save.

55'

Good position

Austria have a free-kick on the left-hand edge of the box.

50'

Offside

Argentina win the ball back in midfield and Fernandez immediately plays in Messi, who is tackled by Seiwald as he closes in on goal. The Argentina captain was offside though, and Austria can reset.

46'

We're back!

The second half is underway.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Argentina 1-0 Austria

Messi's goal separates the two sides at the halfway point, in what was an intense first 45. Argentina started brilliantly and could have been ahead even earlier, had Messi not missed his penalty. Austria reacted and were competitive throughout the half but failed to really open up the Argentina defence.

Half-time

45'

+ 4

In control

Argentina are taking the sting out of the game with the break on the horizon.

45'

+ 1

Seven added minutes

There'll be plenty of time for more drama at the end of this half.

45'

Wasted

Austria win a free-kick, which Alaba sends straight out for a goal-kick.

41'

Yellow card

Stefan Posch

There's the opener!

Medina cuts the ball back across the box, finding Messi just inside the area, who sweeps the ball into the near bottom corner at the first time of asking.

38'

Lionel Messi

GOAL!

1:0

Assist:F. Medina

Goal probability

19 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

14.16 m

37'

Dangerous counter

Argentina break with Martínez, who then slips in Fernandez inside the box. He plays the ball across the six-yard area, but doesn't find a teammate.

35'

Knocking on the door

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

Argentina have had the clearer openings so far.

xGoals

0.95

0.12

Goals

End-to-end

The two sides are taking turns in trying to unlock the opposition defence.

28'

We're back

Play has resumed.

24'

Hydration break

The first break brings to a halt an exciting opening to this game.

19'

Schlager saves!

Messi has a clear sight of goal but he's tackled at the final moment by Alaba, who inadvertently pokes the ball toward his own goal which Schlager sticks out a leg to save.

14'

Determined start

Argentina raced out of the blocks, but now it's Austria's turn to ask questions of their defence.

Tackles won

Messi puts it wide!

He drags his penalty wide of the right post to the relief of the Austrians!

Penalty missed!

Taker:

Lionel Messi

Early opportunity

Argentina have the chance to take the lead, with the referee deciding it was a penalty.

Under review

The referee will review whether Martínez was fouled in the aforementioned incident, with a penalty for Argentina on the cards.

First chance!

A defence splitting pass puts Martínez in behind and gives him a clear sight of goal. Just as he's about to pull the trigger, Seiwald and Posch converge to snuff out the opportunity.

Off we go!

Argentina get the action underway.

Kick-off!

Bundesliga presence

Can Konrad Laimer (pictured, r.), Michael Gregoritsch (middle), Marcel Sabitzer, Romano Schmid, Nicolas Seiwald and Stefan Posch keep Argentina's frontline quiet this evening?

Limbering up

Messi & Co. begin their preparations for this Group J clash.

Austria subs

Wiegele, Pentz, Affengruber, Lienhart, Mwene, Friedl, Svoboda, Grillitsch, Chukwuemeka, Ljubicic, Prass, Schöpf, Arnautović, Kalajdžić, Wimmer

Argentina subs

Musso, Rulli, Senesi, Tagliafico, Montiel, Otamendi, Paredes, Barco, Lo Celso, Palacios, Nico González Álvarez, Simeone, Paz, López

Starting line-up: Argentina

Starting line-up: Austria

0:59

Watch: Laimer's highlight reel

The Austrian full-back is a vital member of Ralf Rangnick's squad, having performed superbly in Bayern's record-breaking Bundesliga title triumph last term.

Familiar faces

The Austrian squad at this year's FIFA World Cup features several prominent Bundesliga stars. While the free-scoring Baumgartner is unfortunately absent through injury, his RB Leipzig teammates Schlager and Siewald may feature against Argentina. Bayern's Laimer and Bremen attacker Schmid - who scored against Jordan last time out - are also among Austria's Bundesliga contingent.

What's at stake?

Both sides come into this contest on the back of comfortable victories, meaning another three points will secure qualification for the Round of 32. A defeat in this match wouldn't be terminal either, as Austria and Argentina would only need a draw in their final game to secure safe passage to the knockouts.

Head-to-head record

Argentina and Austria are set to meet for the very first time in a World Cup - and just the fourth time overall. Across all of their previous contests, both sides have won one game apiece, while their most recent encounter, in 1990, finished as a 1-1 draw in Vienna.

The venue

Argentina and Austria meet at Dallas Stadium, one of the largest venues for the 2026 World Cup. Located in Arlington, Texas, the 80,000-capacity arena is home to the Dallas Cowboys and is among the largest indoor stadiums in world football. For the tournament, it has been temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium and will host multiple matches - including a semi-final.

Last time out: Austria

Austria got their first World Cup win since 1990 by seeing off Jordan 3-1 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Werder Bremen's Romano Schmid scored a lovely opener for a team that included eight Bundesliga players from the start, with two more coming off the bench.

Last time out: Argentina

Lionel Messi stole the show in Kansas City with a hat-trick against Algeria to equal Miroslav Klose's World Cup record of 16 goals and kick off Argentina's title defence in style.

Welcome!

Follow all of the action as defending champions Argentina take on Austria in Group J of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with the game kicking off at 8pm CEST in Dallas.