Lionel Messi opened his record-breaking sixth World Cup in spectacular fashion Tuesday, scoring the first World Cup hat trick of his career as defending champion Argentina cruised to a 3-0 victory over Algeria in its Group J opener.
On a night packed with milestones at Arrowhead Stadium, the 38-year-old captain became the first player to appear in six men's World Cups, earned his 200th international cap and equaled Miroslav Klose's all-time men's World Cup scoring record with 16 goals.
Most importantly for Argentina, Messi's brilliance delivered the perfect start to the Albiceleste's quest to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend a World Cup title.
"It's always good to start with a win," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said afterward. "There is a long way to go, but winning strengthens everything."
Argentina dominated possession from the opening whistle, but Algeria initially held firm and even survived an early scare when Messi had a goal ruled out for offside.
The breakthrough arrived in the 17th minute.
After finding space on the edge of the area, Messi curled a precise finish beyond the Algerian goalkeeper to give Argentina a deserved lead and move level with German great Gerd Müller and France star Kylian Mbappe on 14 World Cup goals.
Algeria competed bravely but struggled to contain Argentina's attacking movement, with Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez repeatedly stretching the North African side.
Messi struck again just after the hour mark. Mac Allister's effort was parried into his path, and the veteran forward reacted quickest to slot home from close range, moving onto 15 World Cup goals and drawing level with Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazário.
The historic moment arrived in the 76th minute.
Receiving the ball outside the penalty area, Messi swept a low finish into the corner to complete his hat trick, send Argentina's supporters into celebration and tie Klose's long-standing record of 16 World Cup goals.
Four minutes later, he left the field to a standing ovation from a crowd that had turned Arrowhead Stadium into a sea of blue and white.
Messi's performance added several new chapters to an already unparalleled World Cup resume.
The Argentine captain became the first player in history to appear at six World Cups, extending a journey that began as a teenager at the 2006 tournament in Germany.
Exactly 20 years after scoring his first World Cup goal against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi delivered his first hat trick on football's biggest stage.
The three-goal haul lifted him to 16 career World Cup goals, matching Klose's tournament record, a mark that had stood untouched since the German striker retired following the 2014 World Cup.
Messi also joined Cristiano Ronaldo as only the second player to score in five different World Cups, having found the net in 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and now 2026.
At 38, he also became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat trick, further underlining the extraordinary longevity that continues to define the latter stages of his career.
Yet Messi was reluctant to dwell on the statistical significance of the achievement.
"It's an honor to be there with players like Klose and Ronaldo," he said. "But in the end, it's just a statistic."
Argentina's coach admitted that even after years of witnessing Messi's exploits, the forward continues to surprise him.
"I don't know what else can be said," Scaloni said. "What he does is inexplicable."
The coach also praised the collective effort behind the victory and warned against complacency despite Argentina's commanding start.
"This team knows anyone can beat us if we relax," Scaloni said. "There have already been surprising results in this tournament. If we do things right, we will be difficult to beat."
The result represented a significant improvement on Argentina's recent World Cup starts. The South Americans stumbled in their opening matches in both 2018 and 2022 before eventually lifting the trophy in Qatar.
Messi arrived in the United States facing questions about whether age might finally limit his impact at the highest level.
Instead, he delivered one of the most memorable performances of the tournament's opening week.
Now level with Klose atop the World Cup scoring charts, Messi needs just one more goal to become the outright leading scorer in men's World Cup history.
With Argentina's attack firing and several group-stage matches still ahead, that record may not stand for much longer.
