Lionel Messi wrote another extraordinary chapter in football history on Tuesday night, scoring all three goals as Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 in their opening Group J fixture of the 2026 World Cup at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 38-year-old Argentine captain equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time record of 16 World Cup goals, doing so with his first-ever hat-trick at football’s greatest tournament.
The occasion was already laden with significance before a ball was kicked. It marked Messi’s 200th international appearance for Argentina and, more remarkably, his record sixth World Cup. The man who many consider the greatest footballer of all time showed he has lost none of his appetite for the grandest stages, delivering a masterclass performance that reminded the world precisely why he is considered the best player in the history of football.
It was Rodrigo De Paul who set the tone for Argentina’s dominance, threading a perfectly weighted through ball to find Messi in the 17th minute. The Inter Miami superstar, with the composure that has defined his entire career, drove forward and unleashed a ferocious strike from just outside the penalty area. Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane got a hand to the effort, but the sheer force of the shot carried it into the net.
Algeria, determined not to be swept aside, played their part in a competitive opening period and actually edged the possession statistics over the course of the match. The North African side, appearing in their first World Cup since 2014, pressed and probed with genuine purpose, but Argentina’s clinical edge proved the decisive difference whenever an opportunity arose.
The defending World Cup champions doubled their advantage in the 60th minute following a chaotic sequence inside the Algerian penalty area. Messi, lurking with predatory instincts, poked home from close range to bring his World Cup tally to 15 goals, drawing level with fellow all-time greats Kylian Mbappé and Ronaldo in the process. The goal silenced any lingering doubts about whether Argentina would convert their dominance into a comprehensive scoreline.
The defining moment of the night arrived in the 76th minute. Messi received the ball on the edge of the penalty area, steadied himself, and dispatched a clinical finish that left Zidane rooted to the spot. It was his 16th World Cup goal in total equalling Klose’s record set across four tournaments between 2002 and 2014.
For Messi, this World Cup was never supposed to happen. After captaining Argentina to their third world title in Qatar in 2022, he declared that tournament would be his last. Yet the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner reversed that decision, finished as the top scorer in South American qualifying, and arrived in North America seeking to add a second winners’ medal to a collection that already defines an era.
Argentina now set their sights firmly on becoming the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cup titles. With Messi supported by the relentless Julian Alvarez, the creative energy of Enzo Fernandez, and the tenacity of Alexis Mac Allister in midfield, Lionel Scaloni’s side look every bit as formidable as the team that lifted the trophy four years ago. The defending champions will know that the road ahead grows considerably tougher, but on this evidence, no team in the tournament will relish facing them.
Currently, Argentina sits comfortably in the top of Group J table with the hope that they scale through the group stage to the round of 16. On the other hand, Algeria would feel disappointed with their result with the hope of bouncing back as they face Jordan and Austria in their upcoming group stage fixtures.
