The 2026 World Cup will feature 13 different kickoff times across the tournament. Build-up coverage begins at 14:00 GMT ahead of live text commentary on match day.
Messi's Form and Milestones
Messi will lead Argentina into Dallas after proving that age is just a number in their opening group game against Algeria in Kansas City. The 38-year-old scored all three goals as Argentina eased past their North African opponents, marking his first-ever hat-trick at a FIFA tournament. He even had one other effort ruled out for offside.
That performance drew Messi level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. He now sits on 16 World Cup goals. The iconic Argentinian number 10 is making his sixth World Cup appearance.
Messi's appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, which began in 2005 at the age of 18. He spent the majority of his club career in Spain with Barcelona before moving to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, and now plies his trade in US football's Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
Despite his hat-trick heroics, Algeria have complained that Messi should have been sent off for standing on the calf of their captain, Aissa Mandi. Algeria have since lodged a formal complaint to FIFA's refereeing commission.
Austria's Challenge
Austria should prove to be sterner opposition for the South American giants. Ralf Rangnick's side beat Jordan 3-1 in their opening Group J match, with veteran striker Marko Arnautovic scoring a 102nd-minute penalty to seal the win.
In the build-up to this encounter, Austria captain David Alaba has stressed that Argentina's quality extends well beyond their talismanic midfielder.
We know what kind of opponent we're up against, what kind of quality they have in their ranks, even besides Messi, but also what they're capable of as a team.
Austria will hope their organised pressing game can disrupt Argentina's rhythm and strengthen their credentials as potential group winners.
Argentina assistant coach Pablo Aimar warned that Austria would pose a different challenge to Algeria, describing Rangnick's side as a physical team capable of causing problems despite Argentina's impressive start.
Austria is a very tough team, as we're seeing with the vast majority of the teams participating in this World Cup.
Group J Standings
Argentina, Austria, Algeria, and Jordan make up Group J. Both Argentina and Austria arrive in Dallas with three points each, though Argentina lead the way on goal difference. Jordan and Algeria remain pointless, with Jordan third in the group and Algeria bottom.
Opta Prediction
Stats provider Opta's supercomputer has made Argentina heavy favourites for this match, giving them a 60.1 percent chance of winning against Austria. The draw is ranked at 22.4 percent, with Austria given a 17.6 percent chance of beating the defending champions. Opta currently rank Argentina as the fourth favourites to win the World Cup.
