The night of June 16–17 at the 2026 World Cup will go down in history: Lionel Messi scored his first-ever hat-trick at a World Cup and equalled Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup goals record — 16. That same evening, Kylian Mbappé scored twice in France's victory over Senegal and became the all-time top scorer in French national team history, while Erling Haaland made his World Cup debut with a brace in a rout of Iraq.
Night Results
Argentina — Algeria 3:0 (Group J)
The match kicked off at 09:00 Kyiv time at Kansas City stadium. Messi opened the scoring in the 17th minute, added a second goal after the break, and completed his hat-trick late in the game before leaving the pitch to a standing ovation in the 80th minute. Coach Lionel Scaloni gave his captain a well-deserved rest. Argentina made a confident start to their title defence, with Algeria unable to offer any real resistance to the reigning champions.
France — Senegal 3:1 (Group I)
The match was played at 23:00 Kyiv time at New York/New Jersey Stadium. The first half ended goalless, but the second half became Mbappé's showcase: he scored in the 66th and 90+6th minutes, with Bradley Barcola adding a third in the 82nd. Senegal replied only through a goal from 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye in the 90+5th minute. Mbappé became France's all-time top scorer with 58 goals and also equalled Gerd Müller's World Cup goals tally (14).
Norway — Iraq 4:1 (Group I)
The match was played at 02:00 Kyiv time in Boston (Gillette Stadium). Norway returned to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and immediately made their mark: Haaland scored twice in the first half — in the 29th minute after a cross from David Müller Wolf, and again after an error by the Iraqi goalkeeper. Iraq equalised in the 39th minute through a header from Ayman Hussein, but Norway added two more goals in the second half to win 4:1.
Austria — Jordan 1:0 (Group J)
The match began at 00:00 Kyiv time in San Francisco. At the time of publication, the match ended with Austria winning 1:0 — further details are being confirmed. For Austria, this is their first World Cup after a 28-year absence; for Jordan, it is their debut at the tournament.
Group Standings
Group I
- Norway — 3 points (+3 goal difference), group leaders after the first round.
- France — 3 points (+2), second place on goal difference.
- Senegal — 0 points (−2).
- Iraq — 0 points (−3), next match against France.
Group J
- Argentina — 3 points (+3), a confident start for the reigning champions.
- Austria — 3 points (+1), a successful return after a long absence.
- Jordan — 0 points (−1), their World Cup debut ended in defeat.
- Algeria — 0 points (−3), a tough opening against the reigning champions.
Off the Pitch
Messi — record holder for most World Cup appearances. The 38-year-old Argentine started his 200th international match and became the first player in history to appear at six World Cups. Cristiano Ronaldo could soon match this record if he takes to the field in his first match of the tournament.
Mbappé — France's new all-time record scorer. The French captain's brace against Senegal brought his international tally to 58 goals, making him the greatest scorer in the history of the French national team.
2026 World Cup Golden Boot race. After the sixth matchday, Messi leads the race with 3 goals, while Mbappé and Haaland each have 2. In a single matchday, three superstars combined for 7 goals.
Jordan's World Cup debut. Jordan played their first-ever World Cup match — a 0:1 defeat to Austria does nothing to diminish the significance of this moment for Asian football.
Today, June 17, the 2026 World Cup continues with Group K and L matches: Portugal — DR Congo (20:00 Kyiv time), Uzbekistan — Colombia (23:00 Kyiv time), and other fixtures — full preview in the evening preview column.
