Soccer fans will be losing sleep early Tuesday as the World Cup schedule heats up. Lionel Messi's Argentina, Kylian Mbappe's France, and Erling Haaland's Norway are all set to play their second group stage matches.
According to the schedule for the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup, Argentina will face Austria at 2 a.m. (Korean time) on June 23, followed by France against Iraq at 6 a.m. and Norway taking on Senegal at 9 a.m. A match between Jordan and Algeria is also scheduled for noon.
The spotlight is on Messi as the defending champion Argentina seeks its second consecutive group stage victory against Austria. Argentina won its opening match against Algeria 3-0, with Messi scoring a hat trick. This performance brought his total World Cup goals to 16, tying him with Germany's Miroslav Klose for the most goals in men's World Cup history. If he scores again against Austria, he will take the record outright.
At 6 a.m., France will take on Iraq. France won its first match against Senegal 3-1, with Mbappe scoring two goals to lead the comeback. A victory over Iraq would secure France's place in the knockout stage with one group match remaining.
Norway, led by Haaland, will meet Senegal at 9 a.m. Norway started strong with a 4-1 win over Iraq in its opening match, where Haaland scored twice. Senegal, having lost to France 3-1, now faces a crucial match against Norway.
This schedule marks a pivotal moment in the group stage. Argentina and Austria are both vying for the top spot in Group J after winning their first matches. Meanwhile, France and Norway enter their second matches with one win each, while Iraq and Senegal are looking to bounce back from their opening losses.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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