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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been nothing short of miraculous so far, especially when you look at what the tournament’s superstars have done on the pitch.
Monday’s series of matches, which featured three of the game’s top scorers, was perhaps the high point of the tournament so far.
The story of the day had to be that of Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who set the all-time World Cup goalscoring record, overtaking Germany’s Miroslav Klose for first place as his illustrious career accolades continue.
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Argentina’s Lionel Messi reacts after scoring his third goal during the World Cup Group J match against Algeria in Kansas City, Missouri, June 16, 2026. (Ed Zurga/AP Photo)
Messi not only scored his 17th World Cup goal in the first half of Argentina’s win over Austria, but he added an 18th goal late in the second half to put the icing on the cake of another marvelous performance.
In just two World Cup matches, Messi already has five goals to his name, scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening victory against Algeria. And he’s doing it at 38, demonstrating the same skills he had in his prime for country and club, while also asserting his status as the best football player to ever put on a pair of boots.
But Messi wasn’t the only superstar to show up on Monday. In fact, he wasn’t even the only one to score two goals in a victory.
LIONEL MESSI’S GREATNESS SHINES WITH HAT TICK IN WORLD CUP AGAINST ALGERIA
France’s Kylian Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland, two of the game’s best strikers, took advantage in their matches against Iraq and Senegal respectively.
Early in the first half in Philadelphia, Mbappe found the ball just outside the Iraqi penalty area when he fired a left-footed shot towards goal, and it was too much juice for the keeper who found the back of the net. France was present everywhere in Iraq, as expected, and they made sure to apply pressure with their 27-year-old superstar leading the way.
After a long delay due to weather conditions, play finally resumed on the field, where Iraq made a costly error on a goal kick that the keeper was not prepared to handle, and Ousmane Dembele served up an easy pass to Mbappe to set up his second goal of the evening.
Kylian Mbappe celebrates France’s first goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group I match against Iraq at the Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 22, 2026. (Shaun Botterill/FIFA)
While Messi broke the all-time World Cup goals record, Mbappé is not far behind him, as these were his 15th and 16th of his career. Mbappé is only 27 but is playing in his third World Cup for a France team seeking revenge after falling to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final.
Finally, not far from Philadelphia, Haaland and Norway played in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in a crucial Group I match against Senegal. France is also in Group I and led with two wins to start their tournament.
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So, we would count on Haaland for his way of scoring goals, and he did not disappoint. Haaland scored in the 48th and 58th minutes of the match en route to a 3-2 win over Senegal to tie France at the top of Group I leading into a decisive group stage final match later this week.
Haaland might even have scored three goals if not for a missed chance when the Senegalese goalkeeper fumbled the ball and a wide-open net lay in front of him late in the first half. But Haaland palmed it away from the right post, leaving the 6-foot-5 Norwegian in disbelief.
However, Haaland quickly made up for it in the second half and the New Jersey crowd went crazy for the Manchester City product.
Norway’s Erling Haaland celebrates with his teammates after scoring the third goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group I match against Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on June 22, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
With players like Spain’s Lamine Yamal making history with his first-ever World Cup goal on Sunday, and Team USA posting wins in its first two Group D matches, this tournament has had it all from top to bottom.
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The best part is that it’s just the group stages. The round of 16 will take place next week, where players like Messi, Mbappe and Haaland will have more to play for.
But there’s no doubt that this tournament has been great to watch for fans around the world, and Monday’s “Big Three” made it even more special.
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