How it happened: Argentina secures spot in knockout stage with Messi masterclass
For the third time this summer, happy World Cup match day from Arlington! Today, Argentina and all-time great Lionel Messi will look to etch his name atop the history books, as he sits one goal away from setting the World Cup record.
On the other side of the pitch, Austria comes in fresh off a 3-1 defeat of Jordan in its opening game. The winner on Monday afternoon will sit comfortably atop the group and will secure a berth in the Round of 32. If the game ends in a draw, both sides will have some work to do in the final group stage game.
Follow along as Star-Telegram brings you all the coverage from Arlington with the opening kick at 12 p.m.
Read all of our coverage
That’s it for today. Check out all of the content from us below:
- Argentina’s Lionel Messi makes World Cup history at AT&T Stadium
- Messi puts on a show, leads Argentina to convincing World Cup win over Austria
- Messi may own the world, and the World Cup, but he doesn’t own the United States
- Ex-Cowboys quarterback among celebs at Austria-Argentina FIFA World Cup match
- Argentina fans arrive at Dallas Stadium (Video)
- FIFA Fan Fest erupts to watch Lionel Messi and Argentina
What’s next?
3:54 p.m.
Argentina will return to AT&T Stadium on Saturday night for a 9 p.m. kickoff against Jordan in its final group stage match, while Austria will face off with Algeria at the same day and time in Kansas City.
The next match at AT&T Stadium will be on Thursday when Japan returns for its second match at Jerry’s World, this time against Sweden. That one kicks off at 6:00 p.m.
Argentina fans still in stadium hours after win
3:51 p.m.
Almost two hours after the final whistle blew, Argentina fans were still making their presence felt.
Argentina fans celebrated in the concourse of AT&T Stadium with roaring chants, flag waving and dancing. Stadium security attempted to ask fans to leave — but the numbers were overwhelming.
— Charles Baggarly
‘A lot of happiness’ for Messi after two wins
3:09 p.m.
Speaking to the media shortly after walking off the pitch, Messi was overcome with happiness with his start and his country’s start in the World Cup.
“Happiness,” Messi said, translated from Spanish. “A lot of happiness, especially for the victory. It was a very tough match. Honestly, we knew it was going to be a match of high intensity, that we couldn’t lower our guard even a little bit because they were very intense. I’m happy for the result and the qualification.”
Messi also addressed rebounding following the missed early opportunity from the penalty spot.
“Today, there were moments where there was a lot of frustration because of the penalty,” Messi said. “Because I missed it and I shot it very badly. Luckily, we were able to turn that whole situation around, we were able to get the advantage and take the three points which was the most important thing.”
— Nick Harris
Relive Messi’s historic moment in DFW
3:05 p.m.
After the match, Messi was presented with the Player of the Match Award for the second time in as many Argentina matches.
Relive his historic afternoon in Arlington here.
FINAL — Argentina 2, Austria 0
2:04 p.m.
In a day that this venue won’t ever forget, Lionel Messi nets two goals to give Argentina the 2-0 win over Austria in the second World Cup group stage match for both squads and the third match at AT&T Stadium.
After missing a penalty in the game’s third minute, Messi rebounded with a strike from 15 yards away in the 38th minute and an unreal dodge of multiple Austrian defenders for a second goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time.
What a performance for one of the world’s best to ever play the sport, and he’ll get a chance to do it all over again right here in Arlington on Saturday night against Jordan.
— Nick Harris
Again! Messi puts exclamation mark on Argentina win
1:59 p.m.
Who else? Lionel Messi rebounds his own miss and dodges three Austrian defenders with a sliding second goal in stoppage time to put the exclamation mark on an historic performance for him and Argentina today in Arlington.
It’s a World Cup-leading fifth goal for Messi in the tournament, as he encores his opening game hat trick with a brace against Austria.
— Nick Harris
Argentina clinging to advantage in second half
1:38 p.m.
We’re at the final hydration break in this one, and Argentina is clinging to its 1-0 lead over Austria.
Austria has had a couple of great looks in the second half, but haven’t found the back of the net. The biggest threat came on a free kick from just outside the box from Marcel Sabitzer that forced Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez to make a diving stop to his left.
Can Austria find an equalizer in the final 20-plus minutes?
— Nick Harris
Popular streamer breaks down at Messi goal
1:27 p.m.
Austria fans weren’t the only ones distraught at Messi’s history-making goal.Global streamer and renowned Ronaldo fan IShowSpeed was one of the many stars in attendance and witnessed his favorite player’s rival add yet another accolade to his GOAT resume.His reaction was emotional yet hilarious.
— Steven Johnson
Shakira among many stars in attendance
1:13 p.m.
The World Cup brings out the superstars, and today is no different in DFW.
Just a handful of the stars in attendance include Shakira, former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and former San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said last week that he would also be in attendance.
— Nick Harris
Argentina leads at halftime break
12:56 p.m.
We’ve played 45 minutes at AT&T Stadium, and Argentina heads to the halftime break with a 1-0 advantage over Austria.
Argentina has controlled possession for 60-percent of the match over Austria’s 40-percent control. “La Albiceleste” also leads Austria in shots (3-2), shots on target (2-0) and accurate passes (276-159). Austria has had more touches in the box (9-8), but it hasn’t led to a threat on goal just yet.
Argentina 1, Austria 0 — HALF
— Nick Harris
Messi sets World Cup record with 38th minute strike
12:38 p.m.
There it is!
After a handful of close misses, Messi takes a beautiful cross from about 15 yards out and sends it to the bottom corner of the net with a left-footed strike. Argentina strikes first in the 38th minute, and the massive Argentina faithful goes berserk inside the stadium.
Makes that 17 career goals for Messi in the World Cup, now an all-time record.
— Nick Harris
Lionel Messi misses penalty kick
12:08 p.m.
Oh, no!
The Argentina fans were all on their feet as Messi stepped to the circle with a chance to set the all-time World Cup scoring record, but the 38-year-old pulled it wide right and out of play. It’s the first penalty miss of this year’s tournament and the third career World Cup penalty miss for Messi in seven attempts.
This one remains scoreless after some early tension, and Austria escapes a close call.
— Nick Harris
Injury to Argentina attacker in early moments
12:08 p.m.
In the third minute, Lautaro Martinez had a free run into the box before Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch combined for a physical tackle that sent Martinez to the grass. The match was stopped for Martinez to receive medical attention, and the VAR confirmed a penalty in the time-being.
Lionel Messi steps to the circle with a chance at the record.
— Nick Harris
Starting lineups
11:50 a.m.
Here are the starting lineups for both sides:
Argentina: Emiliano Martínez, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Facundo Medina, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Thiago Almada, Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez
Austria: Alexander Schlager, Konrad Laimer, David Alaba, Kevin Danso, Stefan Posch, Xaver Schlager, Nicolas Seiwald, Marcel Sabitzer, Paul Wanner, Romano Schmid, Michael Gregoritsch
Austria and Argentina come into the match tied atop the Group J standings and the winner of this match will be in pole position to win the group and advance to the Knockout stage. It would be the first time that Austria has been out of the group stage since 1982 while Argentina looks to win it’s second straight World Cup.
— Lawrence Dow
While outnumbered, Austria fans making presence felt
11:15 a.m.
Austria fans, a vocal minority compared to the hordes supporting Argentina and Messi, congregated outside AT&T Stadium’s main entrance ahead of the match.
With chants in unison, mosh pits and bright red jerseys, the supporters made their presence felt. A few fans took photos and cheered alongside Werner Gregoritsch, the father of striker Michael Gregoritsch, who previously managed the Austrian U21 national team.
Austria defeated Jordan Tuesday in San Francisco -- the team is a +600 underdog against Argentina, according to Fox Sports.
— Charles Baggarly
Lionel Messi going for huge milestone
10:00 a.m.
After scoring the tournament’s first hat trick in the opening game for Argentina last week, Lionel Messi is tied with Germany’s Miroslav Klose at 16 goals for the most scores in World Cup history. A goal on Monday afternoon will have him standing alone atop the prestigious list.
Messi, 38, is thought to be nearing the end of his legendary career, but scoring a hat trick in the world’s biggest tournament just shows that there is a lot more juice left in his tank. After scoring seven goals in Qatar in the 2022 World Cup, Messi is well on his way to eclipsing that total if he keeps his pace.
The bright side for DFW fans is if Messi doesn’t set the record on Monday, he will have another opportunity to do so in Arlington on Saturday when Argentina returns to take on Jordan.
— Nick Harris
Argentina fans taking over Jerry’s World
9:36 a.m.
Since early this morning, the Argentina and Lionel Messi fans have been rowdy outside AT&T Stadium.
The Argentinians arrived to DFW in droves over the weekend, as they took over Klyde Warren Park in Downtown Dallas on Sunday night for World Cup watch parties. It’s expected that they will hang around the area throughout the week with two Argentina matches on tap at AT&T Stadium over the next six days.
— Nick Harris
Catch up on what has happened in DFW so far
The two previous matches at AT&T Stadium have given locals and traveling fans alike a lot of entertainment, as arguably the best venue-slate of games has lived up to its billing so far.
In the opening game, Japan found a late goal with just minutes remaining to draw even with The Netherlands at 2-2. Here was our coverage from that deadlock:
The second match last Wednesday also brought the firepower, as England put together two second-half goals to inch past Croatia, 4-2.
It was a big day for a local star, as FC Dallas standout Petar Musa scored his first World Cup goal for Croatia in the first half.
Here was our coverage from that European showdown:
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 8:17 AM with the headline "How it happened: Argentina secures spot in knockout stage with Messi masterclass."
