Messi Ties All-Time World Cup Goals Record With Hat Trick in Argentina's Opener

KANSAS CITY, At 38 years old, on his 200th international cap, in his sixth World Cup, Lionel Messi did something he had never done before at this tournament. He scored a hat trick.

Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 Tuesday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Group J, and the result was barely the story. The story was Messi, again, rewriting the record books inside the same building where the Kansas City Chiefs play football.

According to ESPN, Messi scored in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes, and the three goals pulled him level with Miroslav Klose's all-time record of 16 World Cup goals. He also passed Pele's mark for career World Cup goal contributions, sitting at 24, according to the same report.

Think about the sequence. First goal: a long-range screamer. Second: a tap-in. Third: a curled effort into the bottom corner. Not a charity hat trick. As Al Jazeera reported, his opening strike came off that left foot after a trademark mazy run, and it was hit with enough power to beat Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, son of Zinedine, the man who won this trophy for France in 1998.

The night almost started badly. Al Jazeera noted that a goal Messi thought he'd scored in the eighth minute was ruled offside, and for a moment it looked like the kind of early frustration that can flatten a crowd and a team. It didn't last. By the 17th minute, Argentina had the lead for real, and the defending champions never looked back.

The broader context makes the numbers harder to wrap your head around. As NBC News reported in its live coverage, Argentina is chasing something that hasn't been done since Brazil in 1962, back-to-back World Cup titles. That's the mission. And Messi, who by any reasonable measure should be winding down, is not winding down.

The rest of Tuesday's card wasn't short on stars, either. Kylian Mbappe scored twice in France's 3-1 win over Senegal and sits at 14 career World Cup goals, tied for fourth all-time. Erling Haaland also bagged a brace in Norway's 4-1 thumping of Iraq. Both performances would have headlined any other night. They got third billing.

NBC News reported that Kansas City was braced for some 650,000 visitors over the course of the tournament, with six matches scheduled at Arrowhead. The host city's infrastructure will be tested. Tuesday, at least, the stadium delivered the setting the night deserved.

Argentina's next match is against Austria on Monday. If Messi breaks Klose's record outright in that one, this tournament will have its defining image before most of the group stage is even done.

Sources cited:
- ESPN (https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49086753/argentina-algeria-live-world-cup-2026-latest-updates-commentary-score-result)
- Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/17/messi-fires-argentina-to-win-against-algeria-in-world-cup-defence-opener)
- NBC News (https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/live-blog/fifa-world-cup-2026-june-16-messi-argentia-live-updates-rcna350195)