Argentina vs Austria prediction 22.06.2026 | World Cup

Argentina have a great generation of players who have been together for a long time and have achieved everything they could have hoped for. However, many football pundits doubted Argentina, and especially Messi, before the tournament, saying his prime is over. We believe he has already proven them wrong after Argentina's 3:0 win over Algeria. Algeria may not be one of the tournament's strongest teams, but they are far from weak, and the Argentines managed to control the game from start to finish, with Messi once again producing moments of pure brilliance.

After a 3:0 win over Algeria, coach Lionel Scaloni spoke to the media. He admitted that the first game of the tournament is always tricky, and that this win gives them a bit of peace. When speaking about Messi, he said:" I have no words to describe Messi. He has been doing this for 20 years."

Austria opened the tournament with a 3:1 win over the weakest team in the group, Jordan. Austrians arrived at the World Cup after three really great friendlies in which they beat Ghana, Tunisia, and, most impressively, South Korea. They are a stable team with great intensity and pretty aggressive pressing. However, it will be interesting to see whether they commit too heavily to that approach in this match, because Messi and the Argentinians can punish them in the blink of an eye, as proven in the previous match. 

After a 3:1 win over Jordan, coach Ralf Rangnick spoke to the media. He was happy with a win, but had some criticisms, saying they struggled for long stretches, especially in the first half. However, the coach noted they regained control in the second half and that the substitutions made a big difference.