Lionel Messi Scores Historic Hat-Trick, Equals World Cup Goal Record
Lionel Messi scored a sensational hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s opening Group J match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Kansas City. It was the first World Cup hat-trick of his illustrious career and helped him reach a historic milestone in international football.
Pic: Fifa
With those three goals, Messi’s total World Cup tally now stands at 16 goals, drawing level with Germany’s legendary striker, Miroslav Klose, who had long held the record as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
Messi’s World Cup goals have come across five different editions of the tournament:
* 2006: 1 goal
* 2014: 4 goals
* 2018: 1 goal
* 2022: 7 goals
* 2026: 3 goals (so far)
The hat-trick also took Messi’s overall goal tally for Argentina to 120 goals, further extending his record as the nation’s highest-ever scorer.
In addition to matching the World Cup scoring record, Messi achieved two remarkable milestones. He already held the record as the youngest Argentine player to score in a World Cup. With his latest goals, he has now also become the oldest Argentine player to score in the tournament. As a result, Messi is the only player in Argentina’s history to have scored both the country’s youngest and oldest World Cup goals.
In Argentina’s previous match, one of Messi’s goals was ruled out for offside. Algeria’s player Shaibi also had a goal disallowed for the same reason during this encounter.
The defending world champions have made an impressive start to their title defense campaign, with Messi once again proving why he remains one of football’s greatest icons.
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