Argentina 3–0 Algeria: Fifa World Cup 2026 Match Report

Two Decades in the Making

Some records take a single moment of brilliance to break. Others take a lifetime of near-misses, of semi-finals and quarter-finals, of legendary tournaments without quite the right finishing touch in the right match — and then, finally, arrive all at once. For Lionel Messi, this was the latter. In 21 years and 200 caps for Argentina, across 27 World Cup matches and six tournaments, Messi had never scored a World Cup hat-trick. He chose the opening game of his country's title defence, against Algeria in Kansas City, to finally deliver one.

It was, in truth, a comfortable evening for the defending champions. Lionel Scaloni set up a 4-4-2 with Messi tucked in alongside Lautaro Martinez, and a midfield of Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez and Thiago Almada feeding the front two. Algeria had spells of possession — they finished with a slight 52% to Argentina's 48% — but it did not matter. Argentina had five shots on target in the first half alone; Algeria managed just one across the entire match. Patient without the ball, ruthless with it — exactly what you would expect from the champions of the world.

By the time the final whistle blew, Messi had not only delivered his first World Cup hat-trick. He had tied Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup goals record at 16, surpassed Pele's record for World Cup goal contributions with 24, and become — at 38 years and a few months old — the oldest player in tournament history to score a World Cup hat-trick.

Match Timeline — Every Key Moment

Full Match Statistics

Best Selling
Revolution X Combi White

Best Selling
Revolution X Combi Black

Luca Zidane — A Difficult Night for Algeria's Number One

Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane endured a difficult evening in Kansas City. While a high-quality stop might have kept Argentina's tally to two rather than three, none of Messi's finishes were straightforward to begin with — the first a quality turn-and-strike, the second a reactive tap-in after a save he himself had made well, and the third a composed finish from a give-and-go. Zidane arrives at this tournament off the back of a Best Goalkeeper award in Spain's Segunda División with Granada, and few would judge his entire World Cup campaign on a single difficult night against the most clinical forward of his generation.

Key Player Ratings

As Featured This Season

Shop the Pro Range

Revolution X White

Revolution X Black

B1 Bono Gloves

What This Means Going Forward

Conclusion

Argentina 3-0 Algeria. On paper, a routine win for the defending champions against a clearly outmatched opponent. In reality, one of the defining individual nights in World Cup history. Lionel Messi's first ever World Cup hat-trick — arriving at 38 years old, in his sixth tournament, after 27 World Cup matches across two decades — ties him with Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in the competition's history.

There is something fitting about the timing. Messi chose the opening match of Argentina's defence of the trophy he finally lifted in 2022 to add this particular achievement to an already unmatched legacy. Algeria, for their part, were competitive without the ball doing them any harm — Argentina simply had a level of ruthlessness in front of goal that few teams in this tournament will be able to match. Group J now belongs to Argentina after Matchday 1, with the rest of the group still very much to play for.