Messi and Ronaldo rewrite the record books as France, Norway and Argentina reach the Round of 32

Matchday 2 belonged to two legends chasing history. Argentina's Lionel Messi struck twice against Austria to pass Miroslav Klose (16) and stand alone as the all-time leading goalscorer in men's World Cup history with 18 career goals. Cristiano Ronaldo, at 41, scored inside six minutes to become the first player ever to find the net at six different World Cups (2006 through 2026) as Portugal demolished Uzbekistan 5-0. In Group I, Norway edged a five-goal thriller with Senegal 3-2 to secure their first World Cup knockout-stage berth since 1998.

In Group I, France beat Iraq 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to clinch a Round-of-32 place, moving to 2-0-0 on six points and reaching the knockouts in eight consecutive major tournaments. Kylian Mbappe opened with a left-footed strike from outside the box, assisted by Michael Olise (14'), and added a tap-in for his brace after Iraq botched a short goal kick (54'); Ousmane Dembele then scored the first World Cup goal of his career (66'). Mbappe reached the brace on his 100th France cap, becoming the youngest player to 100 appearances at 27 years 184 days, and his 16 World Cup goals now tie Klose for second on the all-time list. Manager Didier Deschamps claimed his 16th World Cup managerial win, equaling Helmut Schon's record. The game became the first World Cup match delayed by weather, suspended for roughly two hours amid heavy rain and a thunderstorm. In Foxborough, Norway beat Senegal 3-2: substitute Marcus Holmgren Pedersen scored late in the first half before Erling Haaland's brace (48', 58') completed the comeback. Ismaila Sarr scored both Senegal goals (53' and in second-half stoppage time) but it was not enough. Haaland became only the second player in the last 50 years, after Harry Kane in 2018, to score multiple goals in each of his first two World Cup matches. Senegal (0-2) were left in serious jeopardy but not yet mathematically eliminated.

In Group J, Argentina beat Austria 2-0 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington to clinch a Round-of-32 place with a game to spare (2-0-0, six points) and move to the brink of winning the group. Messi finished first-time with his left foot from inside the box (38') and added a second from a goalmouth scramble in deep stoppage time (90'+5'). Austria (three points) were not eliminated and can still advance as one of the best third-placed teams, with their fate to be decided against Algeria. At Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Algeria came from behind to beat Jordan 2-1: Nizar Al-Rashdan put Jordan ahead (36'), but Nadhir Benbouali headed in a Riyad Mahrez corner (69') and Amine Gouiri struck the winner off another corner (82'), which survived a VAR offside check. Both goals came from second-half corners, rescuing Algeria's campaign after their opening 3-0 loss to Argentina and producing their first goal of the 2026 tournament (now 1-0-1, three points). World Cup debutant Jordan (0-2, no points) was mathematically eliminated after a second straight defeat.

In Group K, Portugal routed Uzbekistan 5-0 in Houston to go top of the group on four points, though they did not mathematically clinch a knockout berth, with the group to be decided in the final fixture against Colombia. Ronaldo headlined with a first-half brace (he scored exactly two goals, not a hat-trick), Nuno Mendes converted a worked free-kick routine (17'), and Rafael Leao added a goal off the bench (87'), with an Abduvokhid Nematov own goal (60') completing the scoring. Ronaldo's second goal was his 10th career World Cup goal, breaking a tie with Eusebio to become Portugal's all-time leading World Cup scorer. At 41 years 138 days, he also became the second-oldest player ever to score at a World Cup, behind only Cameroon's Roger Milla.

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