Lionel Messi bagged a hat-trick as defending champions Argentina opened their Group J 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over Algeria at the Kansas City Stadium on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old opened the scoring for Argentina in the 17th minute when he fired home from yards outside the 18-yard box. Messi then escaped a red card exactly on the half-hour mark following a ‘nasty’ tackle on Aissa Mandi.
Messi doubled the lead for Argentina in the 60th minute, tapping home a spilt ball by goalkeeper Luca Zidane before netting his third in the 76th minute from an effort at the edge of the box.
The hat-trick saw the Inter Miami forward climb to the top of the FIFA World Cup’s all-time scoring chart with 16 goals, equalling the record previously held outright by Miroslav Klose.
Reacting to his latest achievement, Messi stated that he was honoured to be named among some of the great players in football history. Regarding his sixth World Cup tournament, Messi said, “It is a great honour to be able to compete with all these greats, including Ronaldo Nazario, among the players I have watched. He was one of the greatest players of all time.”
Messi added, “This is my sixth World Cup, and I still feel like I’m in good shape. Fortunately, I’m doing well, and we managed to win a tough match. It’s important to start the tournament with a victory in the first game, as that’s never easy in a World Cup.
“Everything I’m experiencing now is a bonus. I’ve been fortunate enough to achieve all my dreams — or even more than I ever dreamed of achieving — both professionally and personally. Now I’m just enjoying this, being part of a wonderful group, feeling good and being able to enjoy it out on the pitch. This is far more than I could ever have imagined when I was a kid.”
Meanwhile, Austria beat debutants Jordan 3-1 in the second Group J match at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
Goals by Romano Schmid, Yazan Abu Al-Arab (own goal) and Marko Arnautovic from the penalty spot ensured that Austria secured the three points.
Ali Iyad Olwan scored Jordan’s only goal in the match.
