World Cup 2026 – Austria challenges Argentina
Time has its teeth on Messi
Updated June 22, 2026 – 12:36 p.mReading time: 5 minutes
Argentina is one of the best teams in the world and goes into the World Cup as defending champions. But does the “Albiceleste” live up to expectations?
The greatest success in a footballer’s career is… World Cup to win. At the WM The Argentines achieved this triumph in 2022 – for the first time in more than 40 years. In 2014 they failed in the final against Germany, but won the title eight years later. At the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, the “Albiceleste”, “the white and sky blue”, want to defend the cup.
The squad has the necessary quality for this, and the superstar still reigns supreme above all Lionel Messiwhich is obviously still unaffected by the ravages of time. The Argentines won the Copa América in both 2021 and 2024. In between there was the aforementioned World Cup triumph. Argentina has won all of the last three tournaments. A balance sheet that is impressive and gives you self-confidence.
How did Argentina qualify for the World Cup?
In the South American World Cup qualification, Argentina was the measure of all things. The “Albiceleste” were the first team to secure their ticket, beating Brazil 4-1. Argentina’s dominance in the group phase can also be seen in the final table. The lead over second place is nine points, and the Argentines have also scored 31 goals.
World Cup 2026: These are Argentina’s group opponents
The defending champions are head of the group Group J and has to complete some tricky tasks there. These are the opponents:
Algeria – June 17, Kansas City, final score 3-0: Algeria had recently stabilized significantly under coach Vladimir Petković. The North Africans still had no antidote against a superstar of Messi’s caliber. The 38-year-old almost single-handedly defeated them with a hat trick and didn’t even seem to have broken a sweat.
Austria – June 22nd, Dallas, 7 p.m. (German time): The Austrians are the co-contenders for first place in Group J. Characterized by high tempo, pressing and counter-pressing, this team is not easy to play against. Coach Ralf Rangnick has created a functioning system through which Austria is able to beat any opponent – including Argentina. Before the game, the team boss advised with a wink to bet on Austria: you could “win a lot of money.”
Jordan – June 28th, Dallas, 4 a.m. (German time): Jordan is in the squad for a World Cup for the first time and made a decent impression at the start against Austria. That alone is probably motivation enough to make it as difficult as possible for every opponent and to win games through fight and discipline. Nevertheless, the clear outsider of this group J.
