Algeria v Austria: World Cup 2026 – live

So what can we expect from today’s match between Algeria and Austria?

>Austria’s opening 3-1 win over Jordan was their first World Cup victory since 1990, with 37-year-old Marko Arnautovic coming off the bench to turn the tide for Ralf Rangnick’s side. The polarising striker had a goal disallowed in the 69th minute before forcing an own goal and scoring a penalty in a dominant second half.

>But that jubilant start came to a screeching halt after Austria were faced with the might and magic of Lionel Messi, whose brace lifted Argentina to a 2-0 victory in their second group match.

>Austria played well in that game, filled with fight and exhaustive gegenpressing, and did well to force Argentina to find solutions to their crisp passing and lingering transitional dangers. Unfortunately, there is only so much a team can do when they come up against the best player in the world.

>Austria, then, will be feeling confident coming into this final outing against Algeria. They’ve been competitive so far, though there are some questions over where their goals will come from as they haven’t looked super convincing in the final third.

>Their opponents, meanwhile, have similar Messi-related traumas after Argentina thumped them 3-0 on the opening day. That was Messi’s hat-trick day, sliding three easy goals past a lacklustre Algeria, which started with a chalked-off tap-in just five minutes after kick-off.

>Algeria’s back-line was pulled apart with ease, and while they had some organised and high-energy moments going forward, they couldn’t convert the few chances they created.

>Their second match against Jordan, though, reminded fans of the kind of football that earned them a reputation during qualifying. Their 2-1 win over the tournament debutants thanks in part to a stand-out performance from veteran winger Riyad Mahrez, who was brought back into the starting side after being bizarrely rested against Argentina.

>Austria may be slight favourites coming into today’s game based on the past two games’ worth of form, but given the long history between these two teams, anything is possible.