Jun 17, 2026, 02:55 PM ET The 2026 FIFA World Cup has produced some enthralling scenes, on and off the field. See some of the best photos from around the tournament here, including Leo Messi's hat-trick celebration, Cristiano Ronaldo 's sadness, and Cape Verde stopper Vozinha 's heroics.
Argentina striker Lionel Messi's hat-trick against Algeria in Kansas City was sublime. Three moments of sublime...ness? Alex Pantling - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images England's Harry Kane and John Stones give Lebron and Dwyane Wade vibes with their arms wide open celebration against Croatia. Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images Cristiano Ronaldo was the picture of disappointment after Portugal's 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 17. Molly Darlington/Getty Images The DRC have returned to the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 52 years, and recorded their first-ever tournament point in their draw with Portugal. Joe Buvid/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images Spain's Pedri is surrounded by Cape Verde defenders, who formed a brick wall around the European champions for the entire match, which ended in a shock 0-0 draw. Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Kilted and bedecked with drums, Scotland fans, known as the Tartan Army, make their way to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox play baseball. Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who was born in the USA to a Ghanaian father and Japanese mother, caught the attention in their 2-2 draw against the Netherlands for his acrobatics. He plays his club football for Parma in Italy. ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN / ANP Getty Images Folarin Balogun, who was born in New York City to Nigerian parents and raised in England, scored a brace for the USA in their tournament opener against Paraguay. John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images Striker Promise David with some fancy footwork for Canada in their opening match's draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images Elijah Just scored a brace for New Zealand against Iran, the country's first at a World Cup. No other male Kiwi player has scored more than one goal in a World Cup match. He's seen here with the world-famous Tim Payne. Stu Forster/Getty Images Nestory Irakunda became the youngest scorer for Australia, at 20 years and 125 days, when he netted against Turkiye in the Socceroos' 2-0 opening win on June 13. Stu Forster/Getty Images Turkiye fans fill the 2,000-year-old historic Antiphellos Ancient Theater in the Kas district of Antalya, Turkiye, to watch the match against Australia. Talip Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images Morocco's midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and Brazil's forward Vinicius Junior fight for the ball during their opening match of the World Cup, with the Moroccans holding the five-time champs to a 1-1 draw. Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP via Getty Images The three red cards in Mexico vs. South Africa is a record for the opening match of a World Cup. Yuri CORTEZ / AFP via Getty Images Raul Jimenez scored for Mexico in the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match against South Africa. Jimenez had fractured his skull during a collision in a match in 2020, which required emergency surgery, and this was his first World Cup goal. Carl Recine/Getty Images Merlin the duck has become a World Cup celebrity in Mexico, owned by Karla Gomez and her son Christian. Cristian Leyva/NurPhoto via Getty Images 