Lionel Messi couldn’t have asked for a better possible start to his sixth World Cup last Tuesday against Algeria. He scored his first career World Cup hat trick to tie Miroslav Klose for the all-time lead.
Messi could overtake Klose with a goal in this afternoon’s match against Austria, which will begin at 1 p.m. ET in Dallas. Both teams are on three points, so the winner could claim the group depending on the results of the later Algeria-Jordan match.
Throughout the World Cup, DraftKings Network will be highlighting some of the stars of the tournament, tracking their performances in all of their matches. Here’s how Messi performed against Das Team:
Argentina vs. Austria odds
The Albiceleste are -225 favorites to take all three points at DraftKings Sportsbook, and Austria is +700. There are +350 odds that the teams will draw.
Lionel Messi prop bets, odds
- 1st Goalscorer: +280
- Anytime Goalscorer: -110
- 2+ Goals: +475
- 3+ Goals: +2000
- Shots: 2+ (-1200), 3+ (-360), 4+ (-145), 5+ (+155), 6+ (+320)
- Shots on Target: 1+ (-475), 2+ (-105), 3+ (+310), 4+ (+900)
- Assists: 1+ (+250), 2+ (+1900)
Tracking Lionel Messi
Follow along as DKNetwork tracks Messi’s and Argentina’s performance against Austria! This section will be updated.
FT: Messi just missed to the left, but he’s done enough! The Albiceleste have secured advancement to the knockout stage! Now, if Jordan fails to beat Algeria, Argentina will win Group J! Now, the only question: will Messi play against the Chivalrous Ones? The final tally is seven shots for Messi!
90’+7: Messi has won a free kick in a dangerous position! Can he complete his hat trick with the final kick of the game?!
90’+5: AAAAHH GOAL GOAL GOAL LIONEL MESSI! HIS SECOND OF THE GAME! HE MADE A RUN DOWN THE RIGHT SIDELINE, CENTERED IT TO JULIÁN ÁLVAREZ, AND AFTER A COUPLE OF BLOCKS, HE PARRIED THE DEFLECTION OF HIS OWN SHOT HOME! A BRACE FOR THE MAGIC MAN, FIVE GOALS THIS COMPETITION AND 18 FOR HIS CAREER! HE. IS. INEVITABLE. WAS TWO GOALS (+475) EVER IN DOUBT?!?
90’+3: Woah, Austria had a solid shot on the right side of the box, but Patrick Wimmer missed it far wide to the left, and Argentina fans breathed a sigh of relief.
90’+1: Nico González won a free kick for Argentina near the left side of the box, but Messi’s out-swinging cross was too deep and didn’t lead to a shot.
86′: A couple of great chances for Argentina there, as González and Julián Álvarez had back-to-back shots blocked inside the Austria box! Das Team are playing well enough that the Albiceleste are clearly not satisfied with a one-goal margin!
82′: Rodrigo De Paul and Nicolás Tagliafico are on for Argentina, which means that Lionel Messi will officially play all 90 minutes for the second straight game this tournament!
76′: Double yellows for Konrad Laimer and Facundo Medina after some scrapping along the right sideline, which probably won’t matter too much for this match, but if the Albiceleste clinch the group tonight, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Medina sit in the third group match to prevent suspension.
73′: Messi swung in an excellent corner to the center of the box, and Nico González missed an absolute sitter! It should’ve been 2-0!
67′: Austria makes three substitutions now, right before the hydration break. The most notable change: Marko Arnautović is on and David Alaba, who has already denied Messi two goals tonight, has come off.
65′: That’s a shot on target for Messi, but it won’t count as one, as the referee has signaled for a goal kick despite Schlager’s pushing it beyond the end line! Still, a great solo move for Messi to manufacture a doable chance!
64′: Two changes for the Albiceleste: Thiago Almada has come off for Nico González, and Julián Álvarez has taken over for Lautaro Martínez!
58′: Lionel Scaloni has made his first substitution of the match, as the hobbled Cristian Romero has been replaced by Nicolás Otamendi.
55′: Marcel Sabitzer had a look at goal from a free kick on the left wing, but Emi Martínez was there to make his first save of the tournament! (Algeria didn’t get a single shot on goal in the previous match).
52′: A one-two leads to a foul by Xaver Schlager on Messi, and now he has a free kick in a relatively dangerous position, about 40 yards away from the goal! The chance didn’t turn into anything, though; he chipped it up into the box, and Das Team dealt with the danger well.
50′: Messi got the ball clear on goal! Unfortunately, he was about five yards offsides. Not exactly a well-timed run, but he’s laughing it off.
48′: Messi has earned a foul near the midfield line! He was briefly down, grabbing his ankle, but he seems to be okay.
46′: We’re back! Does Austria have a moment of magic in this second half, or can Messi and Argentina hold on to secure the critical three points that would see it through to the knockouts?
HT: Indeed, it’s the intermission. Not the greatest first half for the Albiceleste overall, but that hardly matters, because Lionel Messi has made history!
45’+5: The game has certainly slowed down, as Argentina is just passing it around the defense right now, as it has been doing so for the last minute or so. The Albiceleste would certainly be happy just to take this game into halftime at 1-0. Are Das Team content to do the same?
39′: AND THERE! IS! HISTORY! LIONEL MESSI GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL (-105)! ON A FAST BREAK FOR THE ALBICELESTE, FACUNDO MEDINA CENTERED IT, AND THIAGO ALMADA STEPPED OVER IT! MESSI SMASHED IT INTO THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER WITH HIS MAGICAL LEFT FOOT. LIONEL ANDRES MESSI, TAKE A BOW! It’s his second shot (-1200) and first on target (-475) of the match.
37′: That was one of the best opportunities of the match there for Argentina, as Lautaro Martínez got away on a breakaway, and while he slowed down and found Enzo Fernández, Fernández’s shot was extremely weak, missing wide right of the target.
30′: Messi sent forward a brilliant pass to Enzo Fernández, and while Schlager parried it away, it came back to Messi’s left foot and he managed to get a shot off, his second of the game (-1200)! Alaba was there to deny the history-making goal, but that was a very good sequence by Messi.
24′: We’ve reached the hydration break! The stadium is still reeling from Messi’s miss, and Das Team have had some great chances in the last few minutes, as Marcel Sabitzer’s left-footed strike from the left side of the box was blocked!
19′: Messi had an excellent chance to make history, darting between defenders within Austria’s box! However, just as he was about to shoot, David Alaba just got a toe to it and Alexander Schlager prevented an own goal! Still 0-0.
14′: Austria has had the better chances in the last seven minutes, since Messi’s miss! Can Das Team make anything of their chances and steal a shock goal to put them ahead?
8′: MESSI MISSED THE PENALTY! HE PUT IT WIDE TO THE RIGHT! HISTORY WILL HAVE TO WAIT!
7′: And it is a penalty! LIONEL MESSI WILL HAVE A SHOT FOR HISTORY.
6′: VAR IS CHECKING FOR A PENALTY! Martínez is up and walking gingerly.
3′: Argentina had a great chance, as Lautaro Martínez drove into the box before getting dispossessed amid a lot of contact, and while it didn’t turn into anything, that chance was all created by Messi’s gravity! Martínez looks to have gotten his ankle caught between two Austrian defenders.
1′: And we’re off here in Dallas! Argentina (-225 ML) will start with possession, and Messi starts at striker alongside Lautaro Martínez. What does Messi have in store this afternoon? A record-breaking goal, perhaps?
Additional World Cup Coverage
For additional World Cup coverage from the DraftKings Network, check out the World Cup landing page here:
- 2026 World Cup Group J Preview: Predictions, Odds, Top Scorers
- Tracking Lionel Messi in Argentina vs. Algeria on Tuesday 6/16/26: How did he perform?
- Will Lionel Messi be Argentina’s leading goalscorer at the World Cup?
- Argentina vs. Austria prediction, pick for Monday 6/22/26
NOTE: Prop bet rulings are subject to official scoring and could change after the match.
