KANSAS CITY: Defending champions Argentina began their FIFA World Cup 2026 title defense in spectacular fashion, defeating Algeria 3-0 in their Group J opener at the Kansas City Stadium. The night belonged entirely to Lionel Messi, who turned back the clock to score his first-ever FIFA World Cup hat-trick on his 200th senior international appearance.
The 38-year-old maestro opened the scoring in the 17th minute after receiving a quick pass from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, unleashing a sublime long-range strike that beat Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane. Messi doubled the lead on the hour mark, showing sharp instincts to pounce on a rebound after Zidane failed to cleanly hold an Alexis Mac Allister power strike. He completed his magical treble in the 76th minute with a trademark curling finish from the edge of the box, sending the pro-Argentine crowd into absolute raptures.
With these three goals, Messi has matched German legend Miroslav Klose’s historic record of 16 career World Cup goals. Furthermore, at 38 years and 357 days old, Messi officially became the oldest player in men’s World Cup history to score a hat-trick, eclipsing the previous record held by Cristiano Ronaldo. This was Messi’s 11th international hat-trick for La Albiceleste, ensuring Lionel Scaloni’s men walked away with a comprehensive three points.
