Lionel Messi arrives at this Group J fixture with history in his sights. A hat-trick in Argentina's opening match at the FIFA World Cup 2026 took him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 tournament goals — the all-time record for men's World Cups. A single strike against Austria would hand Messi sole ownership of that mark.

The task ahead

Argentina and Austria meet at AT&T; Stadium, with both sides knowing a win would secure passage to the round of 32 with a game still to play. Messi and his teammates arrive as Group J leaders following their 3-0 demolition of Algeria, a result that Vladimir Petkovic's side have little answer to on the night.

Kylian Mbappe remains the only active player who could one day threaten Messi's record, but the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is still the undisputed centrepiece of this World Cup. In the United States — the country where he now plays his club football — Messi's presence alone elevates every match he enters.

Austria's unlikely ambition

Ralf Rangnick's Austria are not here simply to make up the numbers. Their opening win over Jordan — the country's first World Cup victory since 1990 — demonstrated genuine resilience, even against a stubborn Jordan side led by debutant head coach Jamal Sellami. A second consecutive win would guarantee Austria's progression from the group stage for the first time in 44 years.

Austria's qualifying campaign was quietly impressive. In a group alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, they accumulated 19 points and conceded just five. Marko Arnautovic, the 37-year-old striker currently contracted to Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian SuperLiga, scored six of the 14 goals Austria put past San Marino alone.

Rangnick, widely credited as the architect of modern gegenpressing tactics, will have studied Messi carefully. Algeria's Petkovic found no answer on matchday one — Rangnick can be expected to arrive with something more considered.

Historical context

This is only the third meeting between Argentina and Austria, and the first in a competitive fixture. Their most recent encounter, a 1-1 draw in 1990, saw Manfred Zsak and Jorge Burruchaga share the goals as Argentina — then the reigning world champions — prepared for that year's tournament. History repeats itself in a curious way: Argentina arrive as holders once more.

How to watch

Kick-off is at 6:00pm BST / 1:00pm ET. Viewers in the UK can stream the match free on BBC iPlayer, with build-up from 5:30pm BST. Australian fans can watch free on SBS On Demand. In the United States, the match is available on Fox, accessible through Fox One, YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Fubo, Sling, or DirecTV.

Free streams are also available in Ireland on RTÉ Player, in Brazil on CazéTV via YouTube, in the Netherlands on NOS, in Belgium on RTBF/VRT, in Switzerland on SRF/RTS/RSI, and in Turkey on TRT.