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Could the defending World Cup champions understand the sights and sounds of one of the best atmospheres in college football?
It was a somewhat surreal sight as Lionel Messi and Argentina took on Iceland in a pre-World Cup friendly on the campus of Auburn University, earning a 3-0 victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Messi came on as a second-half substitute in Tuesday’s victory in front of a raucous crowd of more than 88,000 at The Plains, normally accustomed to big games on fall Saturdays. The football superstar, who will be playing in his sixth World Cup, scored a penalty in the Albiceleste’s victory.
It was the second game in a week for the defending World Cup champions at an SEC stadium, after beating Honduras 2-0 on Saturday at Texas A&M. Messi missed that game in Aggieland but found time to do a jersey swap with A&M quarterback Marcel Reed.
Argentina returns to Kansas City to begin its World Cup title defense against Algeria on June 16. The team will then travel to Dallas Stadium to face Austria on June 22 and their first team Jordan on June 27.
FIFA World Cup 2026: how to watch
The World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament games will be broadcast live on FOX and FS1, with each game streamed live and on-demand in the FOX One and FOX Sports apps.
