Lionel Messi delivered another landmark night in his career on Tuesday night into Wednesday in Kansas City, leading Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria at the 2026 World Cup. The 39-year-old captain scored a hat-trick as Argentina made a dominant start to the tournament and strengthened its case as a serious title contender.
The match began with two disallowed goals, one for each side. Messi appeared to score in the fifth minute, but the effort was ruled out for offside. Two minutes later, Faris Chaibi was denied by the same decision after going through on Diogo Martinez. Messi finally broke through in the 17th minute, blasting a precise shot from outside the box into the right corner after a pass from Rodrigo De Paul.
Argentina led 1-0 at halftime, and Messi doubled the advantage in the 60th minute by scoring the rebound after Alexis Mac Allister’s long-range effort was saved by Luka Zidane. In the 76th minute, he completed his hat-trick with a powerful strike from outside the area after a one-two with substitute Nico Gonzalez. The goal moved him level with Miroslav Klose atop the World Cup all-time scoring list, both on 16 goals.
Messi was substituted four minutes later and received a huge ovation from the crowd. Argentina has effectively secured advancement to the next stage and will face Austria in its second match. The result adds to the sense that, even at 39, Messi remains central to Argentina’s bid to win the World Cup again.
