Messi equals all-time World Cup goals record with hat-trick against Algeria

Lionel Messi marked Argentina's FIFA World Cup 2026 opener with a hat-trick against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, matching the all-time men's World Cup scoring record and adding another landmark to his international career.

Argentina secured a comfortable 3-0 victory, with Messi scoring all three goals to move level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the joint-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history on 16 goals. The Argentine captain overtook Brazil's Ronaldo, who finished his World Cup career with 15 goals, while also pulling clear of Germany's Gerd Müller and France forward Kylian Mbappé, both on 14.

The achievement came on a night already loaded with significance for Messi. The match was his 200th appearance for Argentina and made him the first player to feature in six editions of the men's FIFA World Cup, breaking a record previously shared with Cristiano Ronaldo, Antonio Carbajal, Andrés Guardado, Rafael Márquez and Lothar Matthäus.

Messi opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a powerful strike from distance after a quickly taken free-kick. He doubled Argentina's lead after reacting fastest to a loose ball inside the penalty area following an effort from Alexis Mac Allister.

The 39-year-old completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, finishing a move he had started himself with a trademark run before curling the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

Adding to the occasion, the hat-trick arrived exactly 20 years after Messi scored his first World Cup goal during Argentina's 6-0 victory over Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 tournament.

The performance also underlined his remarkable longevity on football's biggest stage. Messi has now scored 10 World Cup goals since turning 35 — more than the entire World Cup career tallies of several modern greats, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Diego Maradona, Rivaldo, Neymar and Harry Kane.

Earlier in the day, Mbappé had drawn level with Müller on 14 World Cup goals after scoring twice in France's 3-1 win over Senegal, but Messi's treble ensured he ended the day alongside Klose at the top of the tournament's all-time scoring chart.