Messi Hat-Trick Sinks Algeria as Argentina Open With 3–0 Win

Lionel Messi is 38 years old. Nobody told him. At Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the greatest player of his generation produced a performance for the ages — a complete hat-trick that carried the defending champions Argentina to a 3–0 win over a brave but outgunned Algeria in their World Cup 2026 Group J opener.

If there were doubts about whether Messi could still decide matches at the very highest level, he answered them inside 17 minutes.

Messi Sets the Tone Early

The opening goal arrived in the 17th minute and bore all the hallmarks of vintage Messi: a drift inside from the right, a shift of the ball onto his left foot, and a finish placed with precision rather than power into the far corner. Arrowhead, packed with a vast Argentine following, erupted.

Algeria, organised and disciplined under pressure, held firm for much of the first half. The Desert Foxes defended deep and looked to spring forward through their pacy wide players, but they rarely tested the Argentine goalkeeper. The longer the game stayed at 1–0, the more nervous Argentina's supporters became.

The Champion Settles It

Messi removed all doubt in the second half. His second, in the 60th minute, was a poacher's finish from close range after sustained Argentine pressure finally cracked the Algerian block. His third, on 76 minutes, completed the hat-trick and sealed a result that never looked seriously in doubt once the second goal went in.

For Argentina and coach Lionel Scaloni, it was the ideal start. Defending a World Cup is notoriously difficult — no team has retained the trophy since Brazil in 1962 — but a clean sheet and three points, with Messi in this kind of form, is exactly the platform they wanted.

What It Means

Argentina sit top of Group J after matchday one. The performance was not flawless — they were made to work by a committed Algerian side — but champions find a way, and Argentina have the one player capable of unlocking any defence on the planet.

Algeria, for their part, will take heart from their defensive discipline. Against almost any other team, keeping it to 1–0 for an hour would have been a foundation to build on. They simply ran into Messi on one of those nights.

Follow Argentina's World Cup 2026 title defence live on KickD — real-time scores, goal alerts, and group standings updated every 60 seconds.

KickD Sports Desk

Our editorial team covers Arab football and the FIFA World Cup 2026 live on kickd.net — real-time scores, group standings, and match analysis updated around the clock.

⚡ Follow the action live

Real-time scores for every World Cup 2026 match on KickD