In the 2026 tournament, Argentina defended their World Cup title with a 3-0 victory over Algeria, thanks to Lionel Messi’s performance.
Published June 17, 2026
Lionel Messi began the defense of his world title with Argentina defeating Algeria 3-0, scoring his first hat-trick in a FIFA tournament, marking his sixth World Cup appearance and becoming the all-time leading scorer in a World Cup.
The 38-year-old former forward thought he had taken the lead with a goal from close range in the eighth minute against Kansas City on Tuesday, but the offside flag went up.
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But Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream start to a record-setting appearance against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday was not to be ruled out for long.
His trademark wandering run ended with his famous left-footed drive to the edge of the box. That power was too strong for Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of Zinedine, who won the World Cup with France.
Messi doubled his tally at the hour mark with an easy tap-in off the keeper’s rebound following an Alexis Mac Allister drive.
Even for a player as brilliant as Messi, the magical moment came in the 76th minute when he fired a low shot past the keeper from just outside the penalty area.
This move puts Messi on par with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose with 16 World Cup goals.
His substitution took place after just three minutes and was met with a standing ovation. Even the old maestro seemed disappointed in his dismissal, perhaps taking the rest in consideration of Argentina’s chances of becoming the third team to defend their World Cup title.
Algeria, the 2019 African Cup of Nations winners, barely scored, but they were denied an early goal after Fares Chaibi’s shot in the ninth minute was ruled out for offside.
At the 2022 Qatar tournament, Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in the first match and defeated France in the final, so Messi was careful not to cause an upset in the opening game of this tournament.
The iconic Argentine number 10, who spent most of his club career in Spain with Barcelona before joining French giants Paris Saint-Germain, is seeking a trade to Inter Miami and US Soccer’s Major League Soccer.
He suffered a minor hamstring injury during a late-season game in Miami, which delayed his participation in the World Cup. But the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, which honors world football’s best player, adjusted without issue in last week’s game against Iceland, converting a penalty during 20 minutes of play.
Messi’s appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, which began in 2005 at the age of 18. The only players with more appearances are Portugal’s Ronaldo, who will play his 229th game on Wednesday, and Kuwait’s Bader Almutawa, who played his 202nd game.
The Argentine’s hat-trick also put him ahead of two of soccer’s other biggest stars, France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland, who played big games on Tuesday.
Mbappé scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal earlier in the day, putting him tied for fourth on the World Cup scoring list with 14 goals, while Haaland scored twice for Norway in a 4-1 win over Iraq.
Austria defeated Jordan 3-1 in the group’s other opener later on Tuesday. Argentina next faces Austria on Monday.
