By Newspot Nigeria Sports Desk
Day Six of the 2026 FIFA World Cup belonged to football’s biggest names as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland all made major statements on a day that produced four decisive results across Groups I and J.
The biggest individual story came from Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria, where Messi scored all three goals for the defending champions. The Argentine captain opened the scoring in the 17th minute, doubled the lead in the 60th minute and completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute.
It was Messi’s first World Cup hat-trick and another historic moment in his extraordinary career. The treble took him level with Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record, while also giving Argentina the perfect start to its title defence.
Argentina controlled the contest with patience and authority, while Algeria struggled to contain Messi’s movement and finishing. The result placed the defending champions in a strong early position in Group J and reminded the rest of the tournament that Argentina still carries serious attacking threat.
France also began its campaign strongly with a 3-1 victory over Senegal in Group I. Kylian Mbappé was once again central to the French attack, scoring twice as the 2022 runners-up opened with an important victory against a Senegalese side that fought hard but could not hold out.
Norway produced one of the biggest wins of the day with a 4-1 victory over Iraq. Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with two goals, announcing himself on the biggest international stage and helping Norway make a powerful return to the tournament.
Austria completed the day’s action with a 3-1 victory over Jordan in Group J. The match also had a major late talking point, as a handball decision led to Austria’s third goal and effectively sealed the contest.
The result puts Austria level with Argentina on three points after the opening round of matches. Jordan, making its World Cup debut, showed effort and fight but was ultimately undone by Austria’s pressure and the decisive handball moment that shaped the closing stage of the game.
Day 6 Results
🇫🇷 France 3-1 Senegal 🇸🇳
🇮🇶 Iraq 1-4 Norway 🇳🇴
🇦🇷 Argentina 3-0 Algeria 🇩🇿
🇦🇹 Austria 3-1 Jordan 🇯🇴
Key Talking Points
- Lionel Messi scored all three goals for Argentina in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes.
- Messi’s hat-trick took him level with Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record.
- Kylian Mbappé scored twice as France defeated Senegal.
- Erling Haaland scored twice on his World Cup debut as Norway beat Iraq.
- Austria’s third goal against Jordan came after a handball decision.
- Argentina recorded the only clean sheet of the day.
- All four matches produced winners, with no draws recorded.
By The Numbers
- 16 goals scored across four matches.
- 4 wins from 4 games.
- 1 hat-trick from Lionel Messi.
- 2 braces from Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
- 1 clean sheet recorded by Argentina.
- 1 major handball decision helped Austria seal victory over Jordan.
Standout Performance
Lionel Messi
Messi was the story of Day Six. His hat-trick against Algeria did not only give Argentina a winning start; it turned the defending champions’ opening match into another historic Messi moment on the World Cup stage.
At a tournament already producing big performances from major stars, Messi’s three-goal display stood above the rest. It was a reminder that even deep into his career, he remains one of football’s most decisive figures.
Day 6 Verdict
Day Six was a superstar day. Messi stole the headlines with a hat-trick, Mbappé powered France past Senegal, and Haaland announced his World Cup arrival with two goals for Norway.
Austria also made a winning start, though its victory over Jordan carried a major talking point after the handball decision that produced the third goal. With Argentina, France, Norway and Austria all winning, Groups I and J have already begun to take shape.
— Newspot Nigeria
