Day seven of the 2026 FIFA World Cup treated football fans to the best strikers in the La Liga, MSL and the English Premier League where Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland delivered headline-grabbing performances as the FIFA World Cup 2026 burst into life with a series of record-breaking displays on Tuesday.
The trio, regarded among the finest players of their generation, marked their tournament debuts in spectacular fashion as Argentina, France and Norway all opened their campaigns with convincing victories.
Messi stole the spotlight by scoring the first World Cup hat-trick of his illustrious career to inspire defending champions Argentina to a dominant 3-0 victory over Algeria in Group J.
The 38-year-old captain was already making history by appearing at a record sixth FIFA World Cup finals. He added another remarkable chapter to his legacy by taking his tally to 16 World Cup goals, drawing level with German legend Miroslav Klose at the top of the tournament’s all-time scoring charts.
Messi opened the scoring with a stunning long-range effort before adding a second from close range. He completed his memorable treble with a sublime late strike as Argentina avoided the kind of opening-match shock that derailed their successful Qatar 2022 campaign.
Earlier in the day, France kicked off their Group I campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal, powered by a brace from captain Kylian Mbappe.
After a tightly contested first half ended goalless, Mbappe broke the deadlock before Bradley Barcola doubled France’s advantage. Senegal reduced the deficit deep into stoppage time, but Mbappe struck again to seal the win.
The double saw the 27-year-old become France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 international goals while also moving into joint fourth place on the list of the World Cup’s highest scorers with 14 goals.
Norway also made a statement on their return to football’s biggest stage, defeating Iraq 4-1 in Boston.
Making his long-awaited World Cup debut, Haaland wasted little time making an impact, scoring twice to put Norway in control. Leo Ostigard added a third before an own goal by Iraq captain Aymen Hussein completed the rout.
The results leave France and Norway level on three points in Group I, while Argentina sit atop Group J following their emphatic victory.
