David Alaba eyes upset against Messi's Argentina after Austria's

Austria captain David Alaba has set his sights on causing an upset against Lionel Messi and defending champions Argentina, after his team secured their first FIFA World Cup victory since 1990 in their tournament opener.

Austria's historic win against Jordan

Ralf Rangnick's side kicked off their FIFA World Cup 2026™ campaign with a dramatic 3-1 win over Jordan. The match, played in North America, saw Austria take the lead through Romano Schmid's first-half stunner. However, Jordan equalized shortly after the interval with a fine strike from Ali Olwan. Deep into stoppage time, Marko Arnautović, Austria's most-capped player, calmly converted a penalty to seal the victory.

“We were made to work really hard today,” goalkeeper Alexander Schlager said in a post-match interview with FIFA. “We're overjoyed to have kicked off the tournament with a win. That obviously puts the wind in our sails, and we can now go away and calmly prepare for our next match.”

Captain David Alaba echoed that sentiment. “We really wanted to get off to a winning start,” the veteran defender told FIFA. “We're naturally hugely relieved and ecstatic that it worked out for us today. Now we can set our sights on our next target.”

Facing the world champions

That next target is a daunting clash against Argentina, the reigning world champions, who began their campaign with a 3-0 thrashing of Algeria. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in that match, rewriting the record books once again.

“It goes without saying that there are easier games,” acknowledged Alaba, looking ahead to the showdown with the South Americans. “It's absolutely incredible what Messi is capable of. It's really special to see him get up and running like that, with a hat-trick, at a tournament like this, none other than the World Cup – my first edition of the competition, and the first for all of our team.”

Alaba stressed the quality of the opposition beyond Messi. “Argentina have got a squad packed with top-class players besides Messi. It's no coincidence that they're the reigning world champions,” he said. “However, we'll do our homework, prepare to the best of our ability and give our utmost to get a result.”

Building on momentum

Despite the size of the task, Alaba and his teammates are confident they can build on the momentum from their opening victory to spring a surprise against Lionel Scaloni's side. Austria's win over Jordan was their first at a World Cup since 1990, ending a long drought and providing a significant morale boost.

The match against Argentina promises to be the sternest test for the Central Europeans, but Alaba believes his team can rise to the occasion. With a blend of experienced players like himself and Arnautović, and emerging talent, Austria will look to defy the odds in their second group stage encounter.