KANSAS CITY: Argentina captain Lionel Messi delivered a historic performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026 opener, scoring a stunning hat-trick against Algeria to equal the all-time World Cup goal-scoring record held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose.
The match, played in Kansas City, saw Messi move to 16 FIFA World Cup goals, placing him joint-top in the tournament’s all-time scoring charts.
The 38-year-old football icon opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a powerful long-range strike that set the tone for Argentina’s dominant display. He added his second goal just after the hour mark with a composed finish inside the box before completing his hat-trick in the 76th minute, sending Argentina fans into celebration across the stadium.
This record-equalling performance has reignited global searches for FIFA World Cup 2026 news, Lionel Messi World Cup goals, and Argentina vs Algeria highlights, as football fans around the world follow the latest updates from the tournament. Messi’s achievement also places him ahead of Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazário, who scored 15 World Cup goals, and reinforces his status as one of the greatest footballers in FIFA World Cup history.
The milestone comes amid rising competition in the golden boot race, with France star Kylian Mbappé also climbing the all-time rankings after scoring earlier in the tournament. However, Messi’s hat-trick has shifted attention back to the Argentine captain, who continues to break records even in the later stages of his career.
With this performance, Messi also becomes one of the oldest players to score a FIFA World Cup hat-trick, surpassing previous age-related records in the competition. Analysts say his consistency and finishing ability continue to make him a key figure in Argentina’s World Cup 2026 campaign.
As the tournament progresses, searches for FIFA World Cup top scorers list, Messi hat-trick record, and World Cup goals history are expected to rise significantly among global football audiences.
