The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off its group stage action in Kansas City on Monday, with defending champions Argentina launching their title defense campaign with a dominant 3-0 victory over Algeria, who returned to the World Cup finals for the first time in 12 years. The night belonged entirely to 38-year-old Lionel Messi, who delivered a masterclass performance to score the tournament’s first hat-trick, leveling Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16 World Cup goals as the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
The match got off to a dramatic start, with two goals disallowed for offside inside the opening 10 minutes. First, Messi saw an early effort ruled out by the tightest of offside calls, before Algeria’s Fares Chaibi also had his opening goal wiped out by the assistant referee’s flag. It did not take much longer for Messi to break the deadlock in legitimate fashion, however. In the 17th minute, Rodrigo De Paul played a pinpoint through ball that put Messi clear on goal. The Argentine icon drove forward from 25 yards out and fired an unstoppable, precise shot past Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, putting Argentina ahead. This goal marked not only a key milestone in the tournament, but also Messi’s 14th World Cup goal, coming in his 200th senior international cap for his country.
Buoyed by the early opener, Argentina took control of the match, dominating possession with crisp combination play and a formidable midfield press. Algeria failed to register a meaningful attempt on goal until the 41st minute, when Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez produced a solid save to keep his sheet clean going into halftime.
After the break, Algeria put up a stubborn defensive fight. In the 49th minute, Luca Zidane showcased his reflexes with a well-timed headed clearance to deny Lautaro Martinez a clear scoring opportunity from a dangerous Argentine attack. Messi came close to doubling his tally shortly after, curling a stunning effort just over the crossbar. Even NFL Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, in attendance at the Kansas City Stadium, was spotted soaking in the generational talent on display.
Messi’s second goal finally arrived in the 60th minute, thanks to a defensive mistake from Zidane. Alexis Mac Allister hit a powerful low strike that the Algeria goalkeeper could only parry directly into the path of Messi, who coolly slotted home with his right foot. This strike took his World Cup goal tally to 15, moving him past Cristiano Ronaldo into sole second place on the all-time World Cup scoring list, just one goal behind Klose’s record.
Zidane managed to deny Messi a third goal minutes later with a spectacular one-on-one save, but he could not stop history in the 76th minute. Substitute Nico Gonzalez played a perfectly weighted assist to Messi, who converted his third chance of the night to complete the first hat-trick of the 2026 World Cup and draw level with Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals.
When Messi was substituted off later in the match, the entire crowd in Kansas City rose to give the legend a thundering standing ovation, as spectators recognized they had just witnessed a historic moment in World Cup history. After his substitution, Argentina held firm to maintain their clean sheet, despite late efforts from Algeria to pull a goal back.
With this commanding opening win, Argentina’s title defense got off to a perfect start. Messi now heads into his next group stage match with a golden opportunity to break Klose’s record and cement his status as the greatest World Cup goalscorer of all time. Monday’s performance was yet another reminder that even at almost 39 years old, Messi remains at the peak of world football, capable of carrying his team to glory on the biggest global stage.