Argentina and Austria play today, Sunday, June 22, in Group J at the 2026 World Cup. There’s plenty on the line. Lionel Messi is one goal shy of the men’s World Cup scoring record, and a win for either Argentina or Austria would send them through to the round of 32 after both opened with victories.
Messi drew level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals with a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria. It was his first hat-trick at the tournament, and at 38 he became the oldest player ever to get one, doing it in his sixth World Cup.
Opta rates defending champions Argentina as clear favorites, giving them a 60.1% chance of winning. Austria come in at 17.6%, with Argentina trying to keep their push for back-to-back titles on track.
Austria opened with a 3-1 win over Jordan, their first World Cup victory since 1990. They’re back on this stage after 28 years away and now have a shot at reaching the knockout rounds for the first time in 44 years.
Marko Arnautovic, now 37, scored his first World Cup goal in that opener. Argentina, meanwhile, may be without Gonzalo Montiel, which would likely bring Nahuel Molina into the lineup. Messi’s minutes could also be managed again after the Algeria game.
If you’re following Messi’s chase for the record, or just keeping tabs on how Group J is shaping up, this is a match worth circling.
The game is set for June 22 at Dallas Stadium, with kickoff at 12:00 p.m. local time / 17:00 GMT. In the US, it’ll be on Fox and Telemundo, with streaming through YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, Fubo, DirecTV, Fox One and Peacock. It’ll also be shown free-to-air in the UK, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey, depending on local rights.
