Messi Reportedly Nets Hat Trick in Argentina’s 3-0 World Cup Opener vs Algeria in Kansas City

Lionel Messi reportedly scored a hat trick as Argentina opened its 2026 World Cup title defense with a 3-0 win over Algeria on Tuesday night in Kansas City, pulling level with Miroslav Klose’s men’s record of 16 career World Cup goals, according to ESPN and contemporaneous match reports.

What was confirmed during the match was Messi’s early impact. The Argentina captain put the defending champions ahead 1-0 in the 17th minute at Arrowhead Stadium after a quick restart and a pass from Rodrigo De Paul, according to the Associated Press. The goal came in the opening game of Argentina’s latest title defense, four years after Messi led the team to the 2022 World Cup crown.

If the reported hat trick stands, it would bring Messi level with a mark that has stood since the 2014 tournament. Klose, the former Germany striker, scored 16 World Cup goals across the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 editions. Messi entered the 2026 tournament on 13 World Cup goals, meaning a three-goal opener in his sixth World Cup would take him to the same total nearly 20 years after his tournament debut in 2006.

The match also carried another milestone for Messi, now with Inter Miami, as he was expected to make his 200th appearance for Argentina, AP reported before kickoff. By playing and scoring, Messi also added another layer to his World Cup résumé: AP noted that his opener meant he has now scored in five different World Cups.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had underscored the significance of Messi’s appearance before the match, saying, “Not only the Argentinian population but everybody - the whole planet - wants to see him play.” Scaloni also said of his captain: “There’s nothing negative to say.”

For Argentina, the reported three-goal performance would offer both a strong start to the tournament and another landmark in Messi’s long international career. For Messi, it would mean that in the opening match of his country’s title defense, he had moved alongside the one man above him on the World Cup scoring list.