Messi scores first World Cup hat-trick as Argentina beats Algeria 3-0

Lionel Messi turned Argentina’s opening night into a statement of intent and a run at history, scoring his first World Cup hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over Algeria at Kansas City Stadium. The captain reached 16 World Cup goals, matching Miroslav Klose for the tournament’s all-time scoring mark, as Argentina began its title defense after winning Qatar 2022, its third world crown.

The Group J match, played on 17 June 2026 at 01:00 in Kansas City, was the first World Cup meeting between Argentina and Algeria. That made the result more than a routine opener for the reigning champions. It set the tone for a team that arrived with the burden of defending a title and the advantage of having the most recognizable player in the sport still rewriting the record book in real time.

Messi’s place in World Cup history is now layered. FIFA lists him with 26 appearances in the competition, the most of any player, and he remains the only man to have scored in the group stage, Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a single edition, a feat he produced at Qatar 2022. His latest three-goal burst pushed him level with Klose, whose 16th and final World Cup goal came in Germany’s 7-1 semifinal rout of Brazil in 2014. The comparison matters because it captures two eras at once: Klose’s closed ledger and Messi’s still-moving target.

Algeria came into the match with Riyad Mahrez as its main attacking reference and Luca Zidane in the squad, under Vladimir Petkovic, who named a 26-man roster for the tournament. Against Argentina’s structure and Messi’s precision, Algeria could not find a response. The first-time World Cup pairing ended with the defending champions looking every bit like a side built for another deep run, while Messi added another milestone to a career already sealed in football’s top tier.

For Argentina, the win was about more than three points in Group J. It was a reminder that a team defending the crown from Qatar is also carrying a player whose final ascent through the World Cup record book is unfolding alongside the campaign itself. Messi no longer needs the tournament to define him, but the tournament still bends around him.