INDIANAPOLIS | Lionel Messi added another defining chapter to his World Cup career, the Indiana Fever extended their winning streak with a record-setting offensive night and the WNBA announced a longer regular season as Wednesday's sports calendar moved from historic individual performances to major league growth.
Messi reaches 16 World Cup goals
Messi scored all three goals in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria in Kansas City, matching former Germany striker Miroslav Klose with 16 career goals in the men's World Cup. The hat trick was Messi's first in the tournament and came exactly 20 years after his first World Cup goal.
The performance also arrived in Messi's 200th appearance for Argentina. At 38, he became the first player to appear in six men's World Cups and the oldest player to score a hat trick in the competition. Argentina entered the tournament as defending champion, and the opener immediately placed Messi at the center of another title campaign.
His three goals answered questions about how much he could still influence matches after recent physical concerns. Argentina controlled the scoreline without allowing Algeria a goal, but the larger story was the efficiency and timing of Messi's finishing as he moved into a share of the tournament's most prominent scoring record.
Argentina begins its title defense with a statement
The victory gave Argentina three points in Group J and established an early goal-difference advantage. Group play remains only the first stage of the expanded tournament, but a comfortable opening result reduces immediate pressure and gives coach Lionel Scaloni more flexibility in managing minutes.
Messi's record is not secure by definition because active players, including France captain Kylian Mbappe, remain close enough to challenge it. For now, however, Messi and Klose share the official men's World Cup scoring lead at 16.
Fever overwhelm Toronto at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indiana defeated the Toronto Tempo 113-91 Tuesday night for its fourth consecutive victory and sixth straight home win. The Fever improved to 9-5 and set a franchise record for points scored in regulation.
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Sophie Cunningham scored a season-high 24 points off the bench and made six of seven attempts from 3-point range. Caitlin Clark finished with 21 points, 14 assists and five rebounds.
Aliyah Boston added 18 points and 11 rebounds, giving Indiana two double-doubles and four players with at least 18 points. The Fever shot 52% from the field and made 13 3-pointers while reaching 113 points despite Clark making five of 15 field-goal attempts.
Mitchell, Cunningham and Clark all pass 20 points
Indiana's balanced production mattered as much as the final margin. Mitchell's efficiency gave the Fever a reliable scoring base, Cunningham stretched Toronto's defense from the perimeter and Clark created shots for teammates even when her own outside shooting was uneven.
The Fever's fourth straight win continued a turnaround after an uneven start to the season. Indiana hosts Atlanta on Thursday before traveling to face the Dream on Saturday, giving the team an immediate chance to test whether its improved offense can carry into a home-and-away sequence.
WNBA expands to 50 games in 2027
The WNBA announced that each team will play 50 regular-season games beginning in 2027, up from 44 in 2026. The league began in 1997 with eight teams playing 28 games each.
The schedule expansion follows rapid growth in the number of franchises. Toronto and Portland joined for the 2026 season, bringing the league to 15 teams. Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia are scheduled to enter by 2030, creating an 18-team league.
More games can increase ticket inventory, local broadcasts and national television opportunities, but they also require careful planning around travel, recovery and player workload. The league said additional details, including key dates for the 2027 calendar, will be announced later.
England and Portugal enter the World Cup
Wednesday's World Cup schedule completes the opening round of group matches. Portugal faces the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Houston, England meets Croatia in Dallas, Ghana plays Panama in Toronto and Uzbekistan makes its World Cup debut against Colombia in Mexico City.
England-Croatia is the day's most familiar matchup after Croatia eliminated England in the 2018 World Cup semifinal. Portugal begins another tournament with Cristiano Ronaldo in its squad, while Uzbekistan's first appearance gives the final day of opening fixtures a historic debut of its own.
Several Wednesday matches were still scheduled or in progress at publication time. Official FIFA match pages should be used for final scores and group standings.
United States turns its attention to Australia
The United States is preparing for its second group match against Australia after opening with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. The first result gave the Americans an early advantage, but Australia presents a different physical and tactical challenge.
A second victory would place the United States in a strong position to advance, while a draw could still preserve control of its path. The expanded format allows more teams to reach the knockout round, but group placement affects the difficulty of the bracket that follows.
College World Series reaches decisive semifinal games
The Men's College World Series continues Wednesday in Omaha with North Carolina facing West Virginia at 2 p.m. Eastern and Oklahoma meeting Georgia at 7 p.m. Eastern.
West Virginia stayed alive by eliminating Troy 12-0 on Tuesday. Georgia eliminated Texas 2-0. North Carolina and Oklahoma enter Wednesday unbeaten in Omaha, so West Virginia and Georgia must win to force additional games Thursday under the double-elimination format.
The championship series is scheduled to begin Saturday. Wednesday's results could determine both finalists or extend one or both brackets another day.
What comes next
Messi now has an opportunity to claim the World Cup scoring record outright in Argentina's remaining matches. The Fever return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse Thursday against Atlanta, while the WNBA begins the longer process of building a 50-game calendar around expansion, travel and television commitments.
World Cup group tables will become clearer as second matches begin, and the College World Series could identify its championship finalists by Wednesday night. Scores and schedules can change during live competition, so official league and tournament pages remain the primary sources for updates.
Additional Reporting By: Associated Press; Reuters World Cup Reporting; Indiana Fever; Reuters WNBA Reporting; The Guardian; Reuters U.S. Soccer Reporting; and NCAA.com.