Lionel Messi achieved several historic milestones as Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Argentine captain scored a hat-trick, marking his first ever in a World Cup match, and brought his total World Cup goals to 16, equaling Germany’s Miroslav Klose. At 38 years and 357 days old, Messi also became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history.

Messi’s appearance in this match made him the first footballer to participate in six different World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026). It was also his 200th international match for Argentina, making him only the third player to reach that milestone after Cristiano Ronaldo and Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa. He now has 120 goals for his country.

Additionally, Messi became the second player after Ronaldo to score in five separate World Cups and matched Brazil’s Rivelino’s record of five goals from outside the box in World Cup history.