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Day 6 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be remembered for records broken, history made, and a morning that Indian football fans will not forget. Kylian Mbappé became France’s all-time top scorer. Erling Haaland opened his World Cup account with two goals. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick on his 200th international appearance to equal Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record. And Jordan scored their first-ever goal at a FIFA World Cup™. Four matches. Four stories. All of them worth waking up at dawn for.
France 3–1 Senegal | Group I
Nobody wrote the first half in France’s favour. Senegal came into this match as underdogs and played as though nobody had told them. The Lions of Teranga matched France’s physicality in midfield, disrupted the French passing game, and carried the greater attacking threat in the opening 45 minutes. Ismaïla Sarr missed an open goal right before the break — the kind of chance that changes matches, and this one was no different.
The second half belonged to France and, ultimately, to Mbappé. France turned on the quality after the interval, found the net through a moment of individual brilliance, and never looked back. Mbappé’s goal — his 58th for Les Bleus — made him France’s all-time leading international scorer. It was also the 50th goal of this tournament, a milestone that arrived in fitting fashion.
France win 3–1. Senegal’s effort in the first half deserved more, but at this level, squandered chances cost you.
Norway 4–1 Iraq | Group I
Erling Haaland had waited his entire career for a moment like this. The most feared striker in club football finally had his World Cup stage — and he did not waste it. Haaland scored twice in Norway’s 4–1 demolition of Iraq, opening his account with a clinical finish at the back post after a fourteen-pass move in the 29th minute.
Iraq hit back through a spirited equaliser from Ali Hussein (39′), and for a brief, breathless ten minutes, the match was alive again. Four minutes later, Haaland had his second — an Iraqi defensive error punished with the kind of cold efficiency that defines him. Østigård headed in the third in the 76th minute, and a stoppage-time own goal by Hussein completed the rout.
Norway 4–1 Iraq. Group I now looks like a two-horse race. Norway and France are level on three points each, with both sides having scored freely and defended well enough. Iraq’s tournament continues, but the challenge just got significantly harder.
Argentina 3–0 Algeria | Group J
The morning’s headline, and arguably the moment of the tournament so far. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick on his 200th international appearance, equalling Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup record of 16 goals. This was no gentle anniversary — it was a masterclass.
The first ten minutes featured VAR drama that went both ways, with goals ruled out for both teams before a ball had been properly played. The real match began in the 17th minute: a De Paul assist, a Messi curler from 20 yards, top right corner, 1–0. The second came from a Mac Allister long-range strike that Algerian keeper Luca Zidane could not hold; Messi poked home the rebound at 60 minutes. The third, in the 76th, was pure counter-attack — Messi arriving at the edge of the box and slotting home with surgical calm.
He left the pitch in the 78th minute. The Kansas City Stadium rose as one. Argentina top Group J on three points, with defending champions looking every bit as dangerous as they were in Qatar four years ago. Messi needs one more World Cup goal to break Klose’s record outright.
Austria 3–1 Jordan | Group J
Group J delivered history from both ends of the table. Romano Schmid’s 21st-minute curling strike was Austria’s first World Cup goal in 28 years — an assured, confident finish from outside the box that opened the scoring and confirmed Ralf Rangnick’s side mean business.
Jordan responded with a moment that will live in their football history. Ali Olwan’s 50th-minute counter-attack goal was Jordan’s first-ever at a FIFA World Cup™. A composed, clinical finish from a country that qualified for only their second-ever tournament. The equaliser was celebrated with the kind of joy that results alone cannot always generate.
Austria restored their lead through an unfortunate own goal by Yazan Al-Arab in the 76th minute, before veteran Marko Arnautović converted a stoppage-time penalty to seal a 3–1 win. Austria join Argentina on three points in Group J. Jordan, despite the defeat, have a scoreline to build on.
Coming Up
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ continues with four more Group Stage matches. Portugal face DR Congo at Houston Stadium (10:30 PM IST, June 17). England then take on Croatia at Dallas Stadium (1:30 AM IST), followed by Ghana vs Panama at in Toronto (4:30 AM IST) and Uzbekistan vs Colombia at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City (7:30 AM IST). Four more matches. Four more chances for surprises.
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