Argentina vs. Austria Betting Tips (World Cup 2026)

Argentina got their World Cup title defence off to a stunning start with a 3-0 win over Algeria in the first round of matches.

Lionel Messi may turn 39 later this week, but he proved he’s still one of the best in the world with a hat-trick in the convincing win.

Austria also won their opening match in Group J. Goals from Romano Schmid, Marko Arnautovic and an own goal from Yazan Al-Arab gave Ralf Rangnick’s team a 3-1 win over Jordan. 

The Austrians had to work hard for their three points, with their second and third goals coming late in the match. It was far from a convincing win. 

Argentina are favourites to make it two wins from two at 4/7 (1.57) with TonyBet. The draw is 29/10 (3.90) and a win for Austria is 24/5 (5.80). 

Austria should prove far tougher opponents for the defending champions than Algeria did, but with Messi firing on all cylinders, Argentina should secure another win by a scoreline of 1-0 or 2-0. 

Julian Alvarez wasn’t fit enough to start for La Albiceleste against Algeria and Nicolas Tagliafico missed out altogether through an injury he picked up in the friendly win over Honduras. 

Lionel Scaloni played down concerns over Alvarez’s fitness and may hand him a start against Austria. If not, expect Thiago Almada to retain his place in the team.

Patrick Wimmer and Florian Grillitsch were both injury concerns ahead of Austria’s opening match. Wimmer was a second half substitute in the win, but Grillitsch wasn’t used. 

Both should be available for selection against Argentina, but are likely to have to settle for a place on the bench.