Today at the 2026 FIFA World Cup: June 22

By Deniss Novickis | Published: June 22, 2026, 09:00

Argentina, France, and Norway will aim to secure their second wins of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 22, while Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland continue their battle for the Golden Boot. Ahead of another exciting day of tournament action, MightyTips brings you its World Cup value bet of the day, a high-risk parlay of the day, predictions for every match on the schedule, and some tournament trivia.

Match 43: Argentina - Austria, 19:00 CET, June 22
Match 42: France - Iraq, 23:00 CET, June 22
Match 41: Norway - Senegal, 02:00 CET, June 23
Match 44: Jordan - Algeria, 05:00 CET, June 23

Norway had an amazing qualifying campaign, and they delivered again in Boston, winning 4-1 against Iraq. As expected, Erling Haaland was in the spotlight - the Man City striker scored two goals, as he made five shots, four of them on target. Obviously, Senegal are stronger than Iraq, but Norway are the favourites here for a reason. Haaland will surely have chances, and he’ll take at least one of them, as he always does.

The standout storyline is whether Argentina can clinch an early place in the Round of 32 and whether Lionel Messi can move ahead of Miroslav Klose on the all-time World Cup scoring chart. Messi opened the tournament with a hat-trick against Algeria, while Austria impressed in a 3-1 victory over Jordan. Austria's high-pressing system under Ralf Rangnick could provide a very different challenge from the one Argentina faced on Matchday 1. David Alaba will be tasked with organizing a defence that must contain Messi and Argentina's fluid attack. The world champions can’t count on Gonzalo Montiel, who has a muscle problem.

France can secure qualification with a game to spare after opening with a 3-1 win over Senegal. The main attraction is Kylian Mbappé, who scored twice in that match to become France's all-time leading scorer and immediately joined the Golden Boot race. Iraq, beaten 4-1 by Norway, enter the game under significant pressure and are expected to adopt a physical, direct approach. France defender William Saliba has warned against underestimating the Asians, who reached the tournament through a difficult qualification path and recently earned a notable draw against Spain. There are no major reported absences, meaning Didier Deschamps should again have his star-studded squad available.

This could be one of the most entertaining games of the group stage. Norway demolished Iraq 4-1 in their opener, with Erling Haaland scoring twice, and another victory would put the Scandinavians on the brink of qualification. Senegal, meanwhile, produced promising attacking moments despite losing to France and know defeat could leave them facing elimination. The battle between Haaland and Senegal's athletic back line will be fascinating, while Martin Ødegaard's creativity could prove decisive in midfield. Norway appear to have a fully available squad, with defender Leo Østigård expected to feature despite the off-field distraction of celebrating the birth of his first child during the tournament.

With both teams pointless after one match, this is effectively an early knockout game. Jordan showed encouraging attacking intent in their 3-1 defeat to Austria and will again look to Ali Olwan, who scored their first-ever World Cup goal. Algeria were overwhelmed by Argentina but should be far more competitive here. Coach Vladimir Petkovic is expected to rely on the experience of Riyad Mahrez, Amine Gouiri and Mohamed Amoura to revive the campaign.

Messi remains the defining figure of Argentina’s golden era and the most decorated player in the nation’s history. The captain is Argentina’s all-time leader in appearances, goals and assists for the national team, while also holding the record for the most World Cup appearances by any male player. He guided Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and has continued to rewrite the record books at the 2026 tournament. In Argentina’s opening match, Messi scored all three goals in a 3-0 victory over Algeria, drawing level with Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in World Cup history.

2018 ➡️ 2026

Mbappe at the #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/RmymZBfasO

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 21, 2026

On June 22, 2002, Ronaldo (not Cristiano) scored twice as Brazil defeated Belgium 2-0 in the World Cup quarter-finals. The win was a crucial step toward Brazil's fifth world title, with Ronaldo eventually finishing as the tournament's top scorer.