Tony Popovic's Socceroos, who went into the third round's final match day heavy favourites to progress, defeated direct rivals Saudi Arabia 2-1 in Jeddah to seal the second automatic qualification spot in Group C.
Senegal became the first African team to beat England in 22 games on Tuesday, winning 3-1 in a friendly at the City Ground thanks to goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly.
Since making his senior debut in 2005, Messi has scored 112 goals in 192 appearances for Argentina, winning the World Cup in 2022, two Copa America titles and a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Elsewhere Manchester City star Erling Haaland's goal lifted Norway past Estonia, Luka Modric was among the scorers in Croatia's 5-1 rout of the Czech Republic, and the Faroes Islands left it late to down Gibraltar 2-1.
Italy crashed to a 3-0 loss away to Norway as the four-time champions made a disastrous start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign Friday, while Belgium had to settle for a draw in North Macedonia.
Already assured of their place in the 2026 World Cup, Argentina will travel to Santiago (play against Chile on June 06) and then host Colombia (June 11) at the Monumental Stadium.
Argentina's remarkable home form bolsters their confidence: seven wins in their last eight home qualifiers, including 11 clean sheets in 12. They also hold a four-match unbeaten streak against Brazil, highlighted by a 1-0 win in Rio de Janeiro last year, thanks to Nicolas Otamendi.
Police made 40 arrests at a tense football match between France and Israel in Paris but the city's police chief said on Friday the huge security operation had "worked very well".
"South American football has grown a lot overall. If you look at the majority of the national line-ups, you see players playing in teams all over the world, which wasn't the case until recently," he said.
Coach Lionel Scaloni will present a team without captain Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria after a long time. The two significant absences force the World Cup winning coach to think about a renewed composition of the national team.
Scaloni's charges are set to clash against Chile on 6 September before taking on Colombia on 10 September.
Having enjoyed a one-day rest following a goalless draw against Sudan in an unofficial practice match in Al Taif, the Bangladesh national football team resumed training for Tuesday's second and final practice match as part of their preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers against Palestine.
Former Sao Paulo coach signed a contract until December 2026 and takes over following the sacking of Fernando Diniz.
The Argentine talisman scored two memorable goals in quick succession to mark a stunning return to form for his national team
The 23-year-old has been out since suffering a hamstring injury against Celta Vigo on August 25 but has recovered quicker than expected.
The Spaniard, who led Bangladesh to a first semifinal in the regional event for the first time in 14 years only to lose the last-four battle against Kuwait in extra time, said he was disappointed of the end result but proud of the performance from the charges.
