Scaloni: 'The Whole Planet' Awaits Messi's 200th Cap as Argentina Opens World Cup Against Algeria

Messi ties World Cup goals record as Argentina tops Algeria

Remarkably, the hat trick came exactly 20 years after Messi made his World Cup debut. It was also his fifth consecutive World Cup match with a goal, further strengthening his claim as football’s greatest player.

With a historic Messi, Argentina begin their title defense by thrashing Algeria

Argentina began their defense of the World Cup title won in Qatar 2022 on Tuesday with a 3-0 thrashing of Algeria, in the Group J opener of the 2026 World Cup, played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Captain Lionel Messi guided Lionel Scaloni's side with a hat-trick that left him atop the tournament's all-time scoring history.

Messi equals iconic record with hat-trick

Lionel Messi equals an iconic World Cup record with a hat-trick for Argentina vs Algeria.

Messi equals World Cup goalscoring record in Argentina romp

KANSAS CITY (AFP) -- Lionel Messi scored a dazzling hat-trick for Argentina on Tuesday to equal Miroslav Klose's all-time record of 16 goals at World Cups as the defending champions swept Algeria aside 3-0.

Lionel Messi becomes 2nd player to score in 5 World Cups, striking early for Argentina vs. Algeria

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lionel Messi became the second player to score in five World Cups, giving defending champion Argentina an early 1-0 lead over Algeria on Tuesday night.

Mbappe breaks record as France beat Senegal

Kylian Mbappe became the top French men's scorer as he secured a brace to help Les Bleus beat Senegal 3-1 in their World Cup opener.