By Desmond Nleya
Defending champions Argentina kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Algeria 3-0 thanks to a historic hat-trick from captain Lionel Messi.
The 38-year-old superstar marked his record sixth World Cup appearance with his first-ever World Cup hat-trick, guiding Argentina to victory in Kansas City and matching former German striker Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s joint all-time leading scorer with 16 goals.
Messi thought he had opened the scoring in the eighth minute, but the effort was ruled out for offside. The Argentine legend would not be denied for long, however, producing a trademark run before unleashing a powerful left-footed strike that beat Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane to give Argentina the lead.
After the break, Messi doubled Argentina’s advantage in the 60th minute, tapping home a rebound after Alexis Mac Allister’s effort was parried by the goalkeeper.
The highlight of the evening came in the 76th minute when Messi drilled a low shot into the corner from outside the penalty area, completing a memorable hat-trick and sending the crowd into celebration.
Three minutes later, Messi received a standing ovation as he was substituted, having delivered another masterclass on football’s biggest stage.
Algeria showed glimpses of promise and briefly thought they had equalised early in the match through Fares Chaibi, but the goal was also ruled out for offside. The African champions of 2019 struggled to trouble the reigning world champions thereafter.
The victory ensures Argentina avoid a repeat of their shock opening defeat to Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup, a tournament they ultimately won after defeating France in the final.
Messi’s appearance was also his 200th international match for Argentina, adding another milestone to an extraordinary career that began in 2005. The Inter Miami star now trails only Cristiano Ronaldo and Bader Al-Mutawa for all-time international appearances.
The Argentine captain’s heroics overshadowed impressive performances elsewhere on the opening day, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal and Erling Haaland netting a brace in Norway’s 4-1 victory against Iraq.
Argentina will next face Austria as they continue their quest to become only the third nation in World Cup history to successfully defend the trophy.
