The stars shine at the World Cup as a Manchester City superstar makes his presence felt | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup has gotten off to a good start in the first five days of the tournament held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Outside of the ‘hydration breaks’ which are simply an excuse for more advertisements to be played, the standard of football has been very good with a few upsets occurring along the way. Day six of the 2026 World Cup was when the stars made their presence felt. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all made their first appearances in the tournament on day six. All had a major impact, and Manchester City star Erling Haaland helped fire Norway to a win against Iraq in his World Cup debut.

Manchester City star Erling Haaland bags a brace in his World Cup debut.

Norway made a winning start to their 2026 World Cup campaign as they beat Iraq 4-1 in their opening Group I fixture. A first half brace from Manchester City star Erling Haaland helped Norway see off a determined Iraq side. Iraq did equalize courtesy of a header from striker Aymen Hussein in the first half after Erling Haaland had opened the scoring in the 29th minute. But Erling Haaland restored Norway’s lead four minutes later when he pressed Iraqi keeper Jalal Hassan into an error to restore Norway’s lead. A late header from Leo Østigard and an own goal from Aymen Hussein sealed Norway’s win.

Erling Haaland played like a man determined to make an impact in his World Cup debut. He was full of energy and led the way from the front. Haaland opened his World Cup account with a trademark finish. Haaland slid home at the back post to tap in a David Moller Wolfe cross. Haaland’s opening World Cup goal was one that he has scored for Manchester City on many occasions.

Erling Haaland’s second goal came after a superb piece of pressing from the Manchester City star. His sheer presence unsettled the Iraqi defence. Haaland reaped the reward for his efforts as Iraqi keeper Jalal Hassan cleared the ball into Haaland to give Norway a 2-1 lead minutes after Iraq had equalized.

Erling Haaland made his presence felt on Day six of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Two other stars did the same to set a tantalizing scene for the World Cup.

The stars shone on Day six of the World Cup which was fantastic to see.

Outside of Erling Haaland, two other superstars made a tremendous impact on Day six of the FIFA World Cup. Kylian Mbappe bagged a brace as France beat Senegal 3-1 in their Group I fixture. Mbappe’s first came in the second half following a superb assist from Michael Olise. Mbappe sealed France’s win with a spectacular 25-yard rocket in the 96th minute. Mbappe’s brace was the first shot fired by a superstar yesterday. Erling Haaland followed Mbappe’s performance with a brace of his own. Perhaps the best performance from a superstar came from Lionel Messi.

Messi scored a hat trick as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 in their Group J opener. Messi’s first goal was absolutely superb as he fired a 20-yard rocket past Algeria keeper Luca Zidane to set Argentina on their way in the 17th minute. Messi would score again in the 60th and 76th minutes to round out Argentina’s win.

On a day where Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe shone brightly, it was Messi who stole the show. There is no doubt about that. Outside of that, the stars well and truly arrived on Day six of the World Cup and Erling Haaland looks poised to have a big impact for Norway judging by his performance yesterday.