Posted by Chinenye on Wed 17th Jun, 2026 - tori.ng
A historic night unfolded as Lionel Messi delivered a performance that instantly became one of the tournament's biggest talking points.
(Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his team's third goal. Photo by Punch News)
Lionel Messi marked his record sixth World Cup appearance with a hat-trick on Tuesday, propelling himself to joint-top spot among the tournament's all-time goal scorers as defending champions Argentina opened their campaign for consecutive titles with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria.
In a spectacular performance at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, which held 69,045 spectators, Messi produced a sensational individual showing to draw level with Miroslav Klose atop the World Cup all-time scoring charts, both now on 16 goals.
The 38-year-old had already etched his name into history before kickoff, becoming the first player ever to feature in six World Cups as he captained Argentina out for what would prove to be a lopsided Group J encounter, on what also marked his 200th international cap.
Messi, who made his World Cup debut as a teenager at the 2006 tournament in Germany, went on to dominate the match with his first-ever World Cup hat-trick.
His opening goal, a curling effort in the 17th minute, brought his World Cup tally to 14, placing him level with German icon Gerd Muller and France's Kylian Mbappe on the all-time list.
He then surged ahead of both Muller and Mbappe, drawing level with Brazilian legend Ronaldo on 15 goals after capitalizing on a rebound from an Alexis Mac Allister attempt in the 60th minute to extend Argentina's lead to two.
By the 76th minute, he had matched Klose's tally of 16 with a low finish from outside the box, before being substituted four minutes later to a thunderous ovation from the crowd.
This comes after Argentina's dramatic victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final in Doha, where they triumphed on penalties following a 3-3 draw in which Mbappe scored a hat-trick for France.
Meanwhile, France began their own campaign on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over Senegal, with Mbappe finding the net twice to signal his readiness for another strong World Cup outing, in a contest that could set up a potential final rematch against Argentina depending on how the seedings play out.
France coach Didier Deschamps defended Mbappe against critics, describing him as an exceptional talent capable of single-handedly deciding matches even on days when his overall performance falls short.
Mbappe's brace against Senegal also saw him surpass Olivier Giroud to become France's all-time leading scorer, now with 58 goals in 99 appearances.
Deschamps expressed delight at the achievement, noting that breaking the record at the World Cup carried greater significance than doing so in the earlier warm-up matches, where Mbappe had failed to score.
Elsewhere, Erling Haaland announced his World Cup finals debut in style, scoring twice as Norway thrashed Iraq 4-1 in Group I.
The Manchester City forward opened the scoring from close range in the 29th minute in Foxborough, before Aymen Hussein levelled for Iraq with a header.
Haaland then restored Norway's lead before halftime by capitalizing on a defensive lapse, taking his international goal tally to 57 in just 51 appearances.
Substitute Leo Ostigard added a third with a header, while a stoppage-time own goal from Hussein completed the scoring, securing Norway's first win at a World Cup since their last appearance in 1998.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken praised Haaland's composure on his World Cup debut, saying the striker adapted seamlessly to the occasion and that he had felt confident beforehand that Haaland would deliver.
In Tuesday's late fixture, World Cup debutants Jordan were set to face Austria in Santa Clara, California, in a separate Group J clash.