Messi Equals World Cup Scoring Record As Argentina Defeat Algeria

Argentina captain Lionel Messi produced a historic performance on Tuesday, scoring a hat-trick as the defending champions opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria in Group J.

The 38-year-old forward reached another milestone by becoming the first player in football history to feature in six FIFA World Cups. He also marked his 200th international appearance for Argentina in style.

Messi opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a curling effort before adding a second goal shortly after the hour mark. He completed his first-ever World Cup hat-trick in the 76th minute to secure victory for the South Americans.

The three goals took Messi’s World Cup tally to 16, drawing level with former German striker Miroslav Klose as the joint-highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history.

Despite the achievement, Messi downplayed the significance of the record after the match.

“It is an honour to be there alongside players like Klose and Ronaldo, but in the end it is only a statistic,” he said.

The victory gives Argentina a strong start in their quest to retain the World Cup title they won in Qatar in 2022.

Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappé scored twice as France defeated Senegal 3-1. The brace saw Mbappé become France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 international goals.

In Group I, Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with two goals as Norway secured a 4-1 victory over Iraq. The Manchester City striker now has 57 goals in 51 appearances for his country.

Meanwhile, Austria overcame a spirited challenge from World Cup debutants Jordan to claim a 3-1 win. Jordan briefly levelled through Ali Olwan, who scored the nation’s first-ever World Cup goal, before Austria restored control to secure all three points.

The results leave Argentina, France, Norway and Austria with winning starts as the group stage continues across the United States, Canada and Mexico.