Lionel Messi added another chapter to his remarkable career on Tuesday, becoming the first player to appear in six FIFA World Cups and scoring a hat-trick as Argentina opened its title defense with a 3-0 victory over Algeria.
The 38-year-old Argentina captain reached the milestone when he was named in the starting lineup for the match in Kansas City, marking his 200th international appearance and setting a new World Cup record.
Messi’s performance quickly turned the occasion into a historic night.
After an early goal was ruled out, he opened the scoring in the 17th minute, bringing his World Cup tally to 15 goals and drawing level with Kylian Mbappé, who had moved ahead of him earlier in the day during France’s victory over Senegal.
Messi struck twice more to complete the first World Cup hat-trick of his career, taking his tournament total to 16 goals and matching the record held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose. The goals also raised his international tally to 120.
The achievement came exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut for Argentina in 2006, beginning a tournament career that has spanned two decades and culminated in a World Cup title in Qatar in 2022.
Messi, who turns 39 next week, added another distinction to his résumé by becoming the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick. He was previously Argentina’s youngest World Cup scorer.
The Argentina captain was substituted late in the match and received a standing ovation from the crowd of nearly 70,000.
Tuesday’s appearance made Messi the first player in men’s football to feature in six World Cups. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo could equal the record if he appears for Portugal later in the tournament.
The victory gave defending champion Argentina a strong start to the 2026 World Cup and underscored Messi’s continuing influence nearly two decades after his debut on the sport’s biggest stage.
Argentina will next face Austria before concluding its group-stage campaign against Jordan. With the tournament still in its early stages, Messi has an opportunity to extend several of his World Cup records as he pursues another title with the Albiceleste.
