The night of June 22–23 at the 2026 World Cup will go down in history: 38-year-old Lionel Messi surpassed Miroslav Klose's record, becoming the only player with 18 goals at World Cups. Meanwhile, France and Norway secured their places in the Round of 32, and Algeria kept their playoff hopes alive with a comeback against Jordan.
Night results
Argentina — Austria 2:0 (Group J)
The match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, began with Messi missing a penalty in the opening minutes. However, on the 38th minute the Argentine opened the scoring — following a combination between Medina and Almada, the ball fell to his left foot and Messi did not miss. That was his 17th career World Cup goal — exactly matching Klose's tally. The second goal came in stoppage time: after a shot from Julián Álvarez was parried by the goalkeeper, Messi tapped the rebound into the net from six yards — his 18th goal in history, an all-time record. Argentina advanced to the Round of 32 with two consecutive wins and no goals conceded.
Algeria — Jordan 2:1 (Group J)
In the late match at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Algeria trailed 0:1 but managed to turn the game around. The decisive goal on the 82nd minute was scored by Amine Gouiri after a corner — the ball rebounded off goalkeeper Abulayla and Gouiri was first to react. VAR confirmed the goal after a lengthy review. Jordan suffered their second consecutive defeat and were eliminated from playoff contention. For Algeria, it was their first World Cup win since 2014.
France — Iraq 3:0 (Group I)
The match at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia was suspended for 2 hours and 10 minutes due to a thunderstorm — players and fans were evacuated from the pitch. Before the break, Kylian Mbappé had already made his mark with a strike from outside the box in the 14th minute. After play resumed, Mbappé added a second goal, and Ousmane Dembélé completed the 3:0 scoreline. France advanced to the Round of 32 as Group I leaders.
Norway — Senegal 3:2 (Group I)
At MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, Erling Haaland proved decisive once again: the Norwegian scored a brace, bringing his tournament tally to four goals. Norway led 1:0 at half-time, Senegal equalized twice, but the Scandinavians held on to win 3:2. Norway also secured their place in the knockout rounds.
Group standings
Group I
France and Norway have advanced to the Round of 32 after two wins each. Senegal (0 points) can still theoretically claim a spot among the best third-placed teams if they beat Iraq in the final round. Iraq (0 points) can no longer advance from the group.
Group J
Argentina top the group with 6 points and advance to the Round of 32 as group winners. Austria (3 points) hold second place. Algeria (3 points) remain in contention for the playoffs. Jordan (0 points) have been eliminated from the tournament.
Off the pitch
Schlotterbeck injury (Germany). Germany central defender Nico Schlotterbeck has been forced to withdraw from the 2026 World Cup early due to a ruptured ligament in his left ankle, sustained in the match against Côte d'Ivoire. Scans confirmed the severity of the injury: the player will be sidelined for several months. Julian Nagelsmann's coaching staff cannot replace him in the squad — regulations do not allow additions after the tournament has started.
Messi — record holder among men and women. Two goals against Austria brought Messi to 18 career World Cup goals — more than any other player in the history of the tournament, regardless of gender. Brazilian legend Marta previously held the overall record with 17 goals. Messi also became only the third player in history to score in six consecutive World Cup matches — after Just Fontaine (1958) and Jairzinho (1970).
Messi's post-match statement. After the game, Messi told Telemundo: "I am truly happy about the win, especially because it was a decisive, hard-fought and well-deserved victory."
Today, June 23, four matches are scheduled at the 2026 World Cup: Portugal — Uzbekistan (18:00 CET), England — Ghana (21:00 CET), Panama — Croatia (00:00 CET on June 24) and Colombia — DR Congo (03:00 CET on June 24).
Photo: NBC News · Editorial (source)
