Argentina vs Austria FIFA World Cup 2026 Preview: Everything you need to know

World Cup - Grp. J

Dallas Stadium

Argentina vs Austria will kick off on 22 Jun 2026, 13:00 EST and 17:00 GMT.

Match context and opening day insights

Argentina were comfortable 3-0 winners against Algeria thanks to a stunning hat-trick from Lionel Messi, who celebrated his 200th cap in style. Austria, meanwhile, eventually came out on top 3-1 against Jordan in an entertaining match held at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Marko Arnautovic, Austria's all-time record goal-scorer and appearance-maker, was a second-half substitute. The former Stoke man made the result safe with a stoppage-time penalty.

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Argentina's key players and coach

Lionel Scaloni, who led La Albiceleste to World Cup glory in 2022, aims to become the first manager to win it back-to-back since Vittorio Pozzo in 1938, who achieved the staggering feat with Italy.

With 27 appearances, Messi holds the current record for the most World Cup matches by any player - and joins Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, as the only male players to appear in a sixth edition of football's grandest showpiece. There's a strong English flavour in the squad with Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, Aston Villa 'keeper Emi Martinez, Spurs defender Cristian Romero and Man United defender Lisandro Martinez all picked. Up top, the champions have lethal firepower in the shape of Julian Alvarez and Inter's Lautaro Martinez to operate ahead of Messi, who currently sits on 200 caps for his beloved Argentina.

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Austria's key players and coach

Das Team arrived at their California base boasting a robust, incredibly motivated 26-man squad selected after their dramatic direct qualification triumph over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tactical integration under head coach Ralf Rangnick is running at absolute peak efficiency, creating a highly unified and positive atmosphere inside the camp. The most significant structural boost for Austria is a clean bill of health across their veteran backbone, meaning their high-intensity tactical identity is fully ready to be unleashed on the opening matchday.

National icon David Alaba is fully fit and locked in to organise the backline, anchoring the defence alongside the physically imposing Kevin Danso. In the engine room, the tireless industry of Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer will provide an energetic, high-pressing screen designed to dominate transitions. Behind the frontline, creative spark Christoph Baumgartner will pull the strings, while exciting young talents Paul Wanner and Carney Chukwuemeka give Rangnick elite, dynamic options to inject unpredictability and unlock stubborn opposition blocks.

Coach Ralf Rangnick has brought a radical sense of tactical identity and explosive energy to an Austrian national team hungry for global recognition. Stepping into the international arena after decades of shaping elite European club structures, Rangnick has completely re-engineered Das Team, turning them away from historical passivity and implementing a brave, hyper-proactive style that demands breathless intensity.

Tactically, Rangnick implements a strict, high-octane philosophy centred around immediate ball-oriented choking and lightning-fast vertical transitions. He heavily favours a rigid 4-2-2-2 or an aggressive 4-3-3 shape.

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Argentina 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa).

Defenders: Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid).

Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (River Plate), Rodrigo de Paul (Inter Miami), Valentin Barco (Strasbourg), Giovani lo Celso (Real Betis), Ezequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea).

Forwards: Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Gonzalez (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Nico Paz (Como), Jose Manuel Lopez (Palmeiras), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan).

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Austria 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Patrick Pentz (Brondby), Alexander Schlager (RB Salzburg), Florian Wiegele (Viktoria Pilsen)

Defenders: David Affengruber (Elche), David Alaba (Real Madrid), Kevin Danso (Tottenham), Marco Friedl (Werder Bremen), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz), Stefan Posch (Mainz), Alexander Prass (Hoffenheim), Michael Svoboda (Venezia)

Midfielders: Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig), Carney Chukwuemeka (Borussia Dortmund), Florian Grillitsch (Braga), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich), Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Xaver Schlager (RB Leipzig), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), Alessandro Schopf (RZ Pellets WAC), Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig), Paul Wanner (PSV Eindhoven), Patrick Wimmer (Wolfsburg)

Forwards: Marko Arnautovic (Red Star Belgrade), Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg), Sasa Kalajdzic (LASK).

Team news & squads

Argentina vs Austria Probable lineups

Argentina

ARG

Formation

Austria

AUT

Austria

AUT

Manager

• L. Scaloni

Argentina are managed by Lionel Scaloni. No injuries or suspensions are listed in the available squad data, and no probable starting lineup has been confirmed at this stage. Updates will be added closer to kick-off.

Austria are managed by Ralf Rangnick. No injuries or suspensions have been confirmed ahead of the match, and no projected XI has been released at this stage. Further team news will follow as the fixture approaches.

Form

Argentina head into this fixture on the back of five wins from their last five matches across all competitions. Their most recent outing was a 3-0 friendly victory over Iceland on June 10, 2026, following a 2-0 win over Honduras three days earlier. Earlier in the year, the Albiceleste produced a dominant 5-0 defeat of Zambia in March and edged past Mauritania 2-1. Their run also includes a 2-0 win away to Angola in November 2025. Across those five games, Argentina scored 12 goals and conceded one.

Austria arrive with four wins and one draw from their last five outings. Their most recent result was a 1-0 friendly victory over Tunisia on June 1, 2026. They also beat South Korea 1-0 in March and produced their most eye-catching display with a 5-1 win over Ghana. The only points dropped across the five matches came in a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in World Cup qualifying last November, a result that nonetheless sealed their place at the tournament. Austria scored nine goals and conceded three across that run.

Head-to-Head Record

No previous meetings between Argentina and Austria are recorded in the available head-to-head data. The fixture at AT&T Stadium in Arlington will be the first encounter between these two nations.

Standings

In Group J, Argentina currently sit second and Austria third ahead of this fixture.