KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On a picture-perfect evening at Arrowhead Stadium, soccer icon Lionel Messi etched his name deeper into World Cup history Tuesday, securing his first-ever tournament hat trick and drawing level with the competition’s all-time career scoring record to power defending champion Argentina to a commanding 3-0 win over Algeria in their opening Group J match.
Messi, who is set to turn 39 next week and is competing in a record sixth World Cup, opened the scoring just minutes into the contest, finishing a crisp, well-timed pass from his Inter Miami and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul. The second goal came early in the second half, as Messi pounced on a loose rebound in the penalty area. Shortly after, he slotted home his third from the top of the 18-yard box before being substituted to a thunderous standing ovation from a crowd heavily dominated by pro-Argentina supporters.
The three goals pushed Messi’s career World Cup tally to 16, tying the long-standing record set by Germany’s Miroslav Klose. The milestone also makes him just the second men’s player in history, alongside Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, to score in five separate World Cup tournaments. What makes the feat even more notable: it came exactly 20 years to the day after Messi’s World Cup debut, where he also found the back of the net against Serbia and Montenegro in 2004.
Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic acknowledged his side’s costly errors that cleared Messi’s path to the historic hat trick. “Unfortunately we afforded him the opportunity with the first and second goal, and we actually made it easier for him,” Petkovic said. “But Messi, with his clear thinking in crucial stages of the game, is able to do things that much more easily.”
Algeria star Riyad Mahrez echoed that sentiment, noting the irreplaceable impact of Messi on any match. “Argentina have a special player who can change a game on his own,” Mahrez said.
The strong opening result is a stark reversal of Argentina’s rocky start to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where the defending champions stumbled to a shocking opening defeat to Saudi Arabia before rallying to claim their third World Cup title. Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni emphasized the importance of a strong start this time around. “We had stumbled in the last World Cup and we needed to have a good debut today,” Scaloni said.
Messi showed no lingering effects from the mild hamstring injury that sparked concern among fans and analysts in the weeks leading up to the tournament. He nearly added two more goals to his tally: one finish was ruled out by the narrowest of offside calls, and a second long-range strike skimmed just over the crossbar. Beyond his offensive dominance, Messi also contributed to Argentina’s solid defensive shape, helping the side shut down an overmatched Algeria attack.
Algeria’s only clear goalscoring opportunity came minutes before Messi’s opener, when a Fares Chaibi strike was overturned by VAR review for offside. From that point, the match belonged entirely to Argentina and its captain.
Messi, who says he has carried a passion for the game since childhood, remained focused on the bigger picture after the historic win. “The first matches at the World Cup are always tough, and we’re seeing that nobody’s giving anything away,” Messi said. “When I’m in good shape, I give it my all.”
Tuesday’s match at Arrowhead Stadium fulfilled a decades-long dream held by late sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, who founded the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and was a foundational figure in growing soccer in the U.S. from the 1960s through the early 2000s. Hunt was instrumental in bringing the 1994 World Cup to the U.S., and his sons Clark and Dan have continued that work for this year’s tournament. Among the celebrity spectators in attendance was Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who attended alongside his wife Brittany, trading his game-day football uniform for casual Argentina-themed attire.
Looking ahead, Argentina will continue group play next with a match against Austria in Arlington, Texas on Monday, before closing out the group stage against Jordan on June 27. Algeria will face Jordan Monday in Santa Clara, California, before wrapping up Group J play against Austria back in Kansas City on June 27. De Paul summed up Argentina’s ambitions for the tournament, saying: “The goal is always to arrive on the first day and leave on the last.”