Remarkably, the hat trick came exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut. It was also his fifth consecutive World Cup match with a goal, further strengthening his claim as football’s greatest player.

After a quiet first half, Kylian Mbappé took over. The France captain scored twice as Les Bleus beat Senegal 3-1 in their World Cup opener, moving past Pelé with 14 career World Cup goals. Lionel Messi rolled back the years with a sensational hat trick.

Ghana fans celebrated their team’s winning World Cup start on Thursday after their 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto. A late goal from Caleb Yerenkyi secured the Blacks Stars’ spot at the top of Group L alongside England.

Fans of Brazil and Haiti’s national soccer teams celebrated together as they left Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Friday evening.

South Africa’s World Cup dream got off to a painful start as Bafana Bafana fell 2-0 to Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While fans packed viewing venues in Johannesburg with high hopes, many left frustrated, questioning the team's tactics, performance and coaching decisions.

Faced with power outages and water shortages, personal hygiene has become a problem, especially for the vulnerable.

A cargo plane carrying wads of cash crashed moments after landing – sparking chaos as people flocked to the scene to try and cram their pockets with scattered banknotes.

A Panamanian-flagged merchant ship was shipwrecked on Saturday off the coast of Laayoune,the Moroccan Ministry of Transport and Logistics said in a press release.

'It's the beginning of the end of an era of corruption and terrible problems in Venezuela.'

Donald Trump has vowed to run Venezuela until a ‘safe transition’ can take place,as ousted president Nicolas Maduro landed in New York.