World Cup 2026 Daily Guide 6/16/26: Mbappe & Haaland & Messi, oh my

In the first week of World Cup 2026, we’ve seen some amazing individual performances from both stars and unexpected heroes. Brazil’s Vini Jr. gave us a moment of brilliance, the USMNT’s Folarin Balogun broke out, and 40-year-old Cabo Verde goalkeeper Vozinha shocked the world. And all this happened before arguably the three biggest stars in this World Cup—Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland—even took the stage, which they all do today.

Here is your World Cup 2026 Daily Guide: What to watch for on 6/16/26.

World Cup matches on 6/16/26

France vs. Senegal — New York/New Jersey — 3 pm ET (FOX, Telemundo/Peacock)

Odds: France -215, Draw +360, Senegal +600

Iraq vs. Norway — Boston, Massachusetts — 6 pm ET (FOX, Telemundo/Peacock)

Odds: Iraq +1300, Draw +600, Norway -475

Argentina vs. Algeria — Kansas City, Missouri — 9 pm ET (FOX, Telemundo/Peacock)

Odds: Argentina -225, Draw +350, Algeria +650

Odds via DraftKings

3 things to watch for on World Cup 2026 Day 6 

Here are three things to watch for and fun facts to amaze and entertain your friends with on Day 6 of the 2026 World Cup.

French genius or dysfunction?

The France national team is a historically mercurial bunch who tend to gravitate to the poles of World Cup performance. They either win it all (or come darn close) or crash out in spectacular fashion.

Les Bleus came in third in 1986, then failed to qualify for the next two tournaments. They won it all in 1998, went out in the Group Stage in 2002, lost in the finals in 2006, then infamously had a complete team-wide meltdown that led to the players going on strike in 2010.

After winning the championship in 2018, then coming within a single penalty of repeating as champs last time around, it feels like the French are due for a rough showing. Yes, they have (by far) the deepest and most talented roster in the 2026 World Cup, but there are cracks in the foundation. Manager Didier Dechamps is stepping down after this tournament, and the squad’s best players—Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise—all occupy the same general space on the pitch.

There is no reason that France shouldn’t cruise to at least the quarterfinals, except, ya know, decades of history.

Welcome to the World Cup, Erling Haaland

So far, the World Cup expanding to 48 teams has been a net positive. Sure, there was the Germany 7, Curacao 1 blowout, but even that match had the sublime moment when Curacao scored a goal, giving the small island’s inhabitants a few minutes to dream. Outside of that, Qatar and Cabo Verde drew with Switzerland and Spain, respectively, and Haiti gave Scotland all it could handle. Overall, the teams that wouldn’t be in a 32-team field have acquitted themselves well.

On the individual side, Erling Haaland is making his first World Cup appearance with Norway, which hadn’t qualified for the tournament since 1998. The Manchester City star has been the best goalscorer in the world for nearly a half-decade now and is finally getting his time on the biggest stage in soccer.

Norway isn’t a one-man team, though. Arsenal’s Martin Odegard, Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson, and RB Leipzig’s Antonio Nusa are all stars in their own right who help make the Norwegians a true World Cup 2026 dark horse.

The Curse of the Champions

It’s not always good to be the kings. While there have been two back-to-back World Cup champions (Italy in ’34 and ’38 and Brazil in ’58 and ’62), and France came oh so close in 2022, recent history has generally been quite unkind to defending champs.  Before France’s last World Cup, the previous three champions not only failed to win, but weren’t even able to get out of the Group Stage. This includes Germany in 2018, Spain in 2014, and Italy in 2010.

Now Lionel Messi and company come into the 2026 World Cup with 17 of the same players from 2022 (18 if you count Giovani Lo Celso, who was named to the 2022 squad but missed the tournament due to injury). That’s great for continuity, but also means the bulk of the roster is now in its late-20s to mid-30s as opposed to mid-to-late-20s like last time.

Now 38, Messi may not be the best in the world right now, but he can still get it done. The question is, can his aging national team say the same?

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