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

Lionel Messi answered Argentina’s World Cup opener with a hat trick, but the deeper story from Kansas City Stadium was whether the defending champions looked like a one-man act or a side built to win again. Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 in its Group J debut on June 17, 2026, and Messi scored in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes to deliver a result that felt controlled from start to finish.

The three goals carried immediate historical weight. Messi equaled the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record, and the night brought his first hat trick in a World Cup. It also widened the sense that Argentina’s attack remains centered on its captain, even as the team opened its title defense with a comfortable win over an Algeria side returning to a final tournament after 12 years away.

Argentina’s tournament path is set in Group J alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan, and Lionel Scaloni’s 26-player squad began the campaign exactly as champions aim to begin: with points, authority and no panic. The scoreline was decisive enough to frame the match as more than a Messi highlight reel. Argentina did not need a late rescue or a chaotic finish. The defending champions handled the occasion, and Messi simply made the difference when the game needed it most.

Algeria arrived with its own drama. Vladimir Petković had named a 26-player list for a team back at the World Cup after more than a decade away, and Luca Zidane, 28, started in goal after switching his international allegiance to represent Algeria. His father, Zinedine Zidane, watched from the stands as the crowd saw one of football’s most famous names on both sides of the story, even if only one side could shape the result.

The broader reach of Messi’s night stretched beyond Kansas City. International coverage noted that he was playing in his sixth World Cup and, at 38, became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat trick. Mike Tyson’s appearance in an Argentina shirt added to the social-media frenzy, but the lasting image was simpler: the champions opened their defense with a performance that suggested more than individual brilliance. Messi still drives Argentina, but this first step also hinted at a system sturdy enough to carry the burden.