Messi Equals World Cup Goal Record with Hat-Trick in Argentina’s 3-0 Win Over Algeria
Argentina have made a commanding start to their 2026 World Cup title defence. Lionel Scaloni’s team secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Algeria in their opening group fixture with captain Lionel Messi delivering a historic hat-trick that places him alongside the tournament’s greatest ever scorers.
The North African side began the match with plenty of attacking intent and almost caused a major upset in the early stages. Fares Chaibi found the back of the net in the ninth minute after breaking through on goal but the strike was subsequently ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
Argentina responded swiftly to the warning. In the 18th minute Rodrigo De Paul found Messi in space just outside the penalty area. The Argentine captain took full advantage of the freedom to curl a precise shot into the top corner past goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
Following the opening goal the reigning world champions firmly dictated the tempo. While Algeria enjoyed spells of possession they struggled to break through the Argentine defence to create any meaningful chances.
A historic hat-trick
Algeria attempted to push further forward after the interval but Argentina ruthlessly exploited the gaps left behind. In the 61st minute Alexis Mac Allister unleashed a powerful strike from distance. Zidane parried the initial effort but Messi reacted quickest to slot home the rebound and double his team’s advantage.
The veteran forward completed his hat-trick and sealed the match in the 77th minute. After exchanging passes with Nicolas Gonzalez he confidently slotted the ball into the bottom corner to put the game entirely out of reach.
The final strike cemented Messi’s place in football history. He has now scored 16 goals across his World Cup appearances to equal the all-time tournament record held by German striker Miroslav Klose. The Argentine forward now shares the top spot as the greatest goalscorer in World Cup history and could claim the outright record in his next group stage fixture.
