The Argentina Algeria World Cup 2026 Group J opener in Kansas City belonged entirely to one man. Lionel Messi marked his record sixth World Cup appearance with his first hat-trick at a FIFA tournament, also becoming the joint-highest scorer in World Cup history, as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 to open the defence of their global crown.
Messi Rewrites the Record Books in Kansas City
Messi scored in the 17th, 60th, and 76th minutes, with each goal showcasing a different facet of his game. The first was engineered by De Paul’s cutting through-ball, with Messi shaping a lovely strike beyond Luca Zidane son of France legend Zinedine Zidane. The second arrived early in the second half, turning home a parried effort from Mac Allister, before the third a low, bending strike from the edge of the area gave him his crowning moment.
The goals took Messi to 16 World Cup goals, level with Miroslav Klose for the all-time record, and his 24th goal contribution at the tournament surpassed Pelé’s mark of 21. He also became the oldest player to score multiple times in a single World Cup match, surpassing Roger Milla’s previous record. The match was his 200th international appearance, a career that began in 2005 at age 18.
Remarkably, the hat-trick came 20 years to the day after his World Cup debut as a substitute against Serbia and Montenegro at Germany 2006. Messi was subbed off to a standing ovation, with Algeria captain Aissa Mandi admitting afterward that his side “tried to shut him down as much as possible, but it didn’t work he was too good for us there.”
2026 FIFA World Cup Group J Preview: Argentina, Austria, Jordan, Algeria →
Argentina Begin Title Defence in Style
Argentina, having lost their opening game at Qatar 2022 before going on to win the tournament, ensured there would be no repeat upset this time. Full match highlights are available at FIFA.com.
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