Messi's hat-trick powers Argentina to dominant 3-0 win over Algeria

Lionel Messi delivered a vintage masterclass on a record-breaking night, scoring a stunning hat-trick as defending champions Argentina cruised to a 3-0 victory over Algeria in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The match at a packed Kansas City Stadium carried added significance for the Argentine captain, who became the first player in football history to appear in six FIFA World Cups. Two decades after making his World Cup debut in Germany in 2006, the 38-year-old once again took centre stage on the sport’s biggest platform.

Algeria, returning to the World Cup after a 12-year absence, showed early promise and even found the net through a well-worked move involving Ibrahim Maza and Yacine Titraoui. However, the effort was ruled out for offside. Moments later, Messi also had a goal disallowed, setting the stage for a tense opening period.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 17th minute. Rodrigo De Paul split the Algerian defence with a perfectly weighted through ball, allowing Messi to cut inside and unleash a trademark left-footed strike from distance. Despite getting a hand to the ball, goalkeeper Luca Zidane could not prevent it from finding the top corner, giving Argentina a deserved 1-0 lead.

Argentina continued to dominate possession after the break and doubled their advantage in the 60th minute. Alexis Mac Allister’s long-range effort was spilled by Zidane, and Messi reacted quickest to slot home the rebound for his second goal of the evening.

The historic moment came in the 76th minute. A rapid Argentine counterattack saw Nicolás González pick out Messi on the edge of the box, and the veteran forward calmly curled a precise left-footed effort into the far corner to complete a memorable hat-trick and send the Kansas City crowd into celebration.

The treble marked Messi’s first-ever World Cup hat-trick and took his tally in the tournament to 16 goals, drawing him level with Germany legend Miroslav Klose at the top of the World Cup scoring charts. He also set another record by scoring against an unprecedented 11 different nations in World Cup competition.

Any concerns over the hamstring issue that had troubled Messi in the build-up to the tournament quickly disappeared as he delivered one of the standout performances of the competition so far.

With the victory, Argentina made an emphatic start to their bid for back-to-back World Cup titles. More importantly, the night belonged to Messi—a player who, even in what is expected to be his final World Cup, continues to redefine football history with every appearance.

Kansas City came expecting a special occasion. Messi ensured it became a night that will be remembered for years to come.