Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 in Messi’s 2026 FIFA World Cup group-stage opener. Lionel Messi scored all three goals in Kansas City on June 16, giving the defending champions a decisive start in Group J.
The result was notable because Messi’s hat-trick took him to 16 World Cup goals, level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the men’s tournament scoring record. His goals came in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes, turning a competitive match into a comfortable victory.
Algeria were making their return to the World Cup after last appearing in 2014. The teams had met once before, in a 2007 friendly that Argentina won 4-3. That earlier meeting is a common source of confusion: the 2026 match was their first World Cup encounter, and Algeria—not Austria, Jordan or Cape Verde—was Argentina’s opening opponent.