Messi leads Argentina past Austria as World Cup knockout field grows

Lionel Messi missed an early penalty, then scored twice in Dallas to lift Argentina past Austria 2-0 and into the Round of 32 with a match to spare. FIFA said the second goal, struck in stoppage time, gave Messi the World Cup’s all-time scoring mark at 18 and left Argentina unbeaten and unbreached through its opening matches.

The opener came after Thiago Almada’s dummy and a pass from Facundo Medina, and it landed on the 40th anniversary of Diego Maradona’s famous goal against England. Argentina’s progress, built on a 2-0 result and a clean defensive record, placed Lionel Scaloni’s side safely into the knockout phase while Messi continued to define the tournament’s biggest moments.

France and Norway also moved on through Sunday’s slate of results, underscoring how quickly the 48-team World Cup is sorting itself out across three countries. France beat Iraq 3-0, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice in his 100th international appearance, while Norway edged Senegal 3-2 behind Erling Haaland’s second consecutive brace. Algeria completed the day’s other result, beating Jordan 2-1.

The standings painted an even wider picture of a competition that is being stretched across the United States, Mexico and Canada. FIFA’s tables showed Mexico perfect in Group A with six points, Canada and Switzerland tied atop Group B on four points each, and Brazil and Morocco level on four in Group C. The United States sat on six points in Group D, Germany was also on six in Group E with a plus-7 goal difference, and France and Norway were both on six in Group I. Argentina led Group J with six points and a 5-0 goal difference.

With 48 teams and 104 matches, the bracket is larger and denser than the old 32-team World Cup, and every result carries more immediate weight. Monday’s four matches across the United States, Mexico and Canada showed how narrow the margins are becoming: one Messi brace in Dallas, one Mbappe double, one Haaland burst and a few shifting tables were enough to redraw the knockout map before the group stage was finished.