Fernandez rested as Argentina maintain perfect start to World Cup | News | Official Site

Argentina recorded their third victory of the 2026 World Cup overnight, emphatically securing their passage to the knockout stages with a 3-1 victory over Jordan.

There were more records broken for veteran Lionel Messi as he came off the bench after an hour to curl a free-kick around the wall to net his sixth of the tournament. That sees him lead the Golden Boot race by two clear goals.

Messi now becomes the first man to have scored in seven consecutive World Cup matches, and also extended his lead as the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer, with 19 now to his name.

Jordan – who had already been eliminated from the tournament before the match kicked off – were behind after 19 minutes when Giovanni Lo Celso hit a free-kick into the top corner. The Albiceleste doubled their advantage after they were awarded a penalty when a VAR review found that Marcos Senesi had been accidentally kicked when he dived to head the ball towards goal.

Inter forward Lautaro Martinez converted the spot-kick, but Jordan did pull a goal back with a well-worked team goal, finished by Mousa Al Tamari after the break. It then took Messi just 10 minutes to seal the three points with his free-kick, delighting the Argentina fans present at the Dallas Stadium.

Argentina will now face history-makers Cape Verde on Friday 3 July at 11pm UK time in Miami in the Round of 32.