Rabat – Lionel Messi made history on Tuesday by scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Kansas City.
The three goals took Messi’s World Cup tally to 16 goals, matching the all-time record set by German legend Miroslav Klose.
Messi opened the scoring in the 17th minute before adding two more goals in the second half, in the 60th and 76th minutes. It marked the first World Cup hat-trick of his career.
The victory gave defending champions Argentina a perfect start to their World Cup campaign and placed them top of Group J with three points.
A record-breaker
The match was also special for Messi for another reason. The 38-year-old became the first player in football history to play in six different World Cups.
Messi made his World Cup debut in 2006 and scored his first tournament goal against Serbia and Montenegro. He later scored in the 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions, helping Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar.
His best tournament came in 2022 when he scored against Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia and twice against France in the final.
Against Algeria, Messi reached 16 goals in 27 World Cup matches, moving level with Klose at the top of the tournament’s all-time scoring list.
With Argentina still having more matches to play in the 2026 World Cup, Messi now has the chance to become the tournament’s top scorer outright.
