ARLINGTON, Texas — If Texas is the buckle of the Bible Belt, the state was introduced to the Church of Messi this week. Lionel Messi came off the bench and scored his sixth goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on a spectacular free kick against Jordan in front of 70,649 on Saturday night. Argentina won 3-1 as Giovanni Los Celso and Lautaro Martinez also scored, and the reigning champs will face Cabo Verde in the round of 32 in Miami on July 3.

Argentina were already group leaders, and were ahead of the majority of the match against Jordan, but Messi secured the final group game with a showstopper.

For myself, who has never had the opportunity to witness Messi’s Argentina in person, it felt like stepping into a religious experience even bigger than a church. Not alongside spectators, but among a congregation of the most faithful, filled with total adoration and devotion for their national team and personal demigod Messi.

If there’s gloating, it’s because it’s earned among the pews of worship. It’s something that has gone beyond the “Iglesia Maradoniana,” the actual registered Church of (Diego) Maradona, founded in 1998, with several self-proclaimed believers across the globe. But Argentina’s present-day saint will draw thousands. It does not matter if he plays 90 minutes, 15, or stoppage-time slop; in this phase of Messi’s career, each second counts for those who are not yet ready to face the reality of age in sport.

That is what thousands at AT&T Stadium all understood on Saturday night.

It’s part of what makes this tournament so special. Messi’s six goals in this competition lead the World Cup Golden Boot race. He scored a hat trick in the opening group match against Algeria, a feat that served as an impressive example of individual brilliance, but also as a reminder that no matter who is chasing him, Messi is him.

Even in a long lineage of saviors, Gabriel Batistuta, 1978 World Cup hero Mario Kempes, or Maradona, Messi is the present. The one who has delivered for the elders who longed to be saved, and a new generation of young devotees who do not yet know the mystery of faith that requires one to believe and be tested with the unknown, that glory will return again.

The 2026 World Cup has even given supporters iconography and relics to sport or admire at games. It’s not just flags in the stands, it’s banners with images of Messi’s face, winning the 2022 World Cup, kissing the trophy, or just staring back at you — daring you to doubt his ability.

“The goal of Leo, [I’m happy],” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said after the match. “Now the good part is coming.”

There’s a very likely scenario that it will. Winners of the 2022 World Cup, Argentina, are considered among the favorites in 2026 and are already looking ahead to the knockout rounds where a favorable path awaits. This year’s competition even has its own relics and ceremony, with Messi’s special Adidas cleats, “El ultimo tango” (the last tango), which were blessed by a priest at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján in Argentina. Messi dons the armband and leads the team onto the field for warmups — even on a matchday when he doesn’t start.

Argentina clinched a spot in the knockout rounds last week with a definitive 2-0 win against Austria, where Messi scored two goals and boosted his Golden Boot tally to five in the tournament — oh, he also became the highest goal scorer in men’s World Cup history, and added a six goal for his current campaign.

Even with this game against Jordan, where there was nothing on the line in terms of standings, they entered aware that their next opponent will be Cinderellas Cabo Verde.

“Obviously, our plan is always to win every match. We are Argentina, and this group comes together, whether it’s for official competitions or for friendlies; we enjoy being together, we enjoy competing, training, the day‑to‑day. And we enjoy seeing the fans as well, being able to give them this kind of joy. Thank God we’ve already been able to give them several, and we’ll try to keep staying in this same wavelength as the people,” Messi said after receiving his second man of the match honors against Austria.

“The people are excited, too, but I’ll say it again, step by step. This is long, it’s difficult, and we have to prepare ourselves the way we prepare for every match, no matter who the opponent is or what the situation is,” he said.

They now know that their next opponent is coming in with absolutely nothing to lose, playing with house money amid an amazing run where they took a point from Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.

A team from a tiny island that is chasing big dreams, the Blue Sharks have captured World Cup neutrals with their stingy defense and brave play. Their goalkeeper, Vozinha, produced a seven-save game in a 0-0 draw against Spain to open the tournament. He has been vocal about his own admiration for Argentina’s greatest player.

“He’s the greatest footballer of all time. Every team panics when they have to face him,” Vozinha said about Messi.  “Sharing the pitch with Messi is a dream, and I’ll proudly tell my kids I played against him one day.”

A 40-year-old goalkeeper will achieve his dream of facing the world’s best. The 39-year-old Messi, still a phenomenon, is playing at his sixth tournament. The constant comparisons of religious worship for Messi, by Argentinians and beyond, still operate the same way decades into his career.

The crowds will still yearn for another touch on the ball, a pass, a goal, in this World Cup. Fans of the game watch the match, almost waiting to see what he can do because it is practically expected. The knockout rounds will be where strange things can happen, but for Argentina, they have their own human miracle in Messi, making the extraordinary constantly look ordinary. And with that, global glory remains a possibility.