The Argentina national team arrived at the World Cup in North America with an impeccable reputation. In the last four years, Lionel Messi and his teammates have won every major tournament in which they participated. Following the dramatic victory at the last World Cup in Qatar, the Argentinians first won the continental championship, in the final proving their superiority over Colombia. A less significant, but still prestigious and important achievement for the Argentines was securing the top spot in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Arriving at the World Cup with such a track record, there is no other goal than defending the title. In the first group stage round, Argentina faced Algeria. It is hard to say that the African side deserved to lose 0-3, but they were outclassed. The embodiment of that class was the ageless Messi, who scored a hat-trick in varied fashions. Lionel also demonstrated a master class in staying on the field in a situation where a sending-off would have been deserved. A very useful skill for the Argentine veteran. Austria also reached the World Cup without incident. Compared to its star opponent, this European side lacks significant achievements in recent years. Indeed, even simply qualifying for the World Cup is a success for Austria, something its fans have long missed. In the first group stage match, Arnautović and his colleagues played a scrappy contest with Jordan. As the clear favorites of the match, the Austrian team scored first, but at some point they not only allowed the opponent to level, but also temporarily took the initiative. Austria nevertheless managed to regroup, capitalize on the created advantage, and finish off the opponent in stoppage time added to the second half, but the overall impression of their level remained mixed. Austria still will not have Christoph Baumgartner from Leipzig on the field. For Argentina, Balerdi and Montiel will not be able to take the field, but the entire core of the World Cup champions is ready for the fight. The match is unlikely to be high-scoring. It is even more likely that Argentina will secure a second victory in the group stage.