Messi’s Historic Hat-Trick Powers Argentina Past Algeria in World Cup Opener

Darwin, 17 June : picked up exactly where he left off in the Qatar World Cup final, delivering a majestic hat-trick to inspire defending champions to a commanding 3-0 victory over in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup.

At Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Messi once again stole the spotlight, dazzling fans with a vintage performance as Argentina launched their title defence in emphatic fashion.

The Argentine captain, playing his landmark 200th international match, wasted little time making his presence felt. Argentina nearly opened the scoring in the fourth minute when headed goalward from a move involving , and , but Algerian goalkeeper comfortably gathered the effort.

The first half soon turned dramatic with back-to-back offside calls. Messi initially thought he had opened the scoring with a superb header following a move built by and Martínez, only for VAR to rule the effort offside. Just minutes later, Algeria forward briefly celebrated after finding the net, but his goal was also disallowed for offside.

Messi finally broke the deadlock in the 17th minute. Receiving a pass from midfield, the 38-year-old controlled the ball outside the penalty area before curling a trademark left-footed strike past Zidane to give Argentina the lead.

The second half brought more brilliance from the Argentine superstar. In the 60th minute, goalkeeper launched a long pass to , whose low shot slipped through the hands of Zidane. Messi reacted quickest, pouncing on the rebound to double Argentina’s advantage and draw level with Brazilian legend on 15 World Cup goals.

But Messi was far from finished.

In the 76th minute, the Argentine icon completed his first-ever World Cup hat-trick in stunning fashion. Starting the move himself, Messi combined neatly with before coolly slotting home with his first touch, leaving Algerian defenders helpless.

The night could have been even more remarkable for Messi had his early disallowed goal stood, potentially giving him four goals. Still, his hat-trick elevated him alongside Germany’s all-time World Cup top scorer on 16 tournament goals. One more strike would see Messi stand alone at the summit of World Cup scoring history.

Three minutes after completing his hat-trick, head coach substituted Messi to a standing ovation from thousands inside the stadium, introducing young talent in his place.

History had suggested defending champions often struggle in their opening World Cup match, but Messi and Argentina emphatically brushed aside that trend, sending a powerful message to the rest of the tournament contenders.