2026 FIFA World Cup: Group J – Argentina vs Austria

Argentina meet Austria in a top of Group J showdown at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Victory would see Argentina or Austria secure their place in the knockout stages and sit top of Group J heading into the final round of matches.

 

Team News

Gonzalo Montiel is a doubt for Argentina after he suffered a hamstring injury in the first half of their 3-0 victory over Algeria.

Nicolas Tagliafico (muscle) is unlikely to be fit enough for selection because he is yet to participate in full-team training.

Austria could be without right-back, Stefan Posch after he suffered a broken jaw during their 3-1 victory over Jordan.

 

When is Kick-Off?

Argentina face Austria at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, USA, on Monday 22 June at 12pm CDT (6pm BST), live on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer in the UK.

 

Stat Attack

  • This is Argentina’s first World Cup meeting against Austria.
  • Austria have won one of their three previous meetings against Argentina in all competitions (W1, D1, L1).
  • Six of Argentina’s 10 shots against Algeria were produced by Lionel Messi.
  • Two of Austria’s four shots on target against Jordan were produced by Marko Arnautovic.

 

Prediction

Sat top of the group coming into this match after a ruthlessly clinical display against Algeria in a tight encounter, Argentina now have a great opportunity to secure their knockout spot as group winners with a game to spare if can be just as sharp as they were in that game.

Austria though are a good solid team who can’t be underestimated but compared to Jordan, this game is a different beast for Ralf Rangnick’s squad although they too were just as clinical in their opening game, which will give them some belief.

I however do think that Argentina will have too much quality but expect a close game nevertheless.

Prediction: Argentina 2-1 Austria

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