Argentina started their bid for the FIFA World Cup 2026 title with a 3-0 victorious start against Algeria in Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, and Messi equalled Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals in the tournament. With the first half of the group stage concluded, Argentina leads Group J on goal difference, whereas Algeria are at the bottom of the group after four goals allowed in their first four matches.
Argentina's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign started with a blowout win Tuesday, June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium) in Kansas City against Algeria (3-0). The defending champions' home debut of Group J was a step towards a possible successful defence of their title, and it couldn't have been more perfect for Lionel Scaloni's boys.
The game was dominated by only one player. Messi (200) scored his 3rd of 16 World Cup goals, a tally held by Miroslav Klose since 2002, during his 200th international goal and made his second hat trick in World Cup history.
In their debut World Cup in 2014, Algeria were up and down in a tight first half but were unable to break down Emiliano Martinez to score any goals, nor to keep Messi out of the box when the Argentina forwards found their rhythm after the break.
With the victory, Argentina moves to the top of Group J and Algeria are heading into the tournament battle with a loss, and an uphill struggle against Jordan and Austria in the other two games.
This fixture did not have a verified match record with a detailed shot count, possession split and disciplinary record that would have enabled this report to be constructed. From the goal data, it is only clear that Argentina's threat was limited to a single player: the three goals were all Messi's, with two of the three scored in the second half as Algeria's resistance was slowly broken.
| Statistic | Argentina | Algeria |
| Final Score | 3 | 0 |
| Ball Possession (%) | 44% | 50% |
| Total Shots | 10 | 7 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 1 |
| Shots off Target | 3 | 4 |
| Corners | 2 | 2 |
| Fouls | 13 | 8 |
| Yellow Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Passes Completed | 517 | 578 |
| Pass Accuracy (%) | 90% | 91% |
| Assists | 2 | 0 |
It was a more competitive opening 45 minutes than what was indicated by the score. Defensively, Algeria generally held Argentina at arm's-length, and they were hardly the kind to be in the mood early when both Messi and Chaibi's attempts were from outside the box, which was called off.
In the 17th minute, there was no pressure from a long spell as Algeria's breakthrough goal was scored individually, indicating that the defensive line was in some shape for long spells. Other than the opener, Argentina's best chance was from an Alexis Mac Allister header just over the bar.
But Algeria proved that they were not just here to defend. Anis Hadj Moussa's effort was most threatening moment of the half but deflected just enough to take the sting out as the team showed good readiness to put players forward when chances came.
Things changed dramatically after the second half was restarted, as Messi began to play a key role in Argentina's offensive. He initially introduced Zidane from 20 yards before cutting forward to get Lautaro Martinez with a slick pass – which was later blocked by the Algeria goalkeeper.
The pivotal moments were to follow in quick succession. Messi's second goal after 60 minutes was a natural defence of a Mac Allister strike and his third after 76 minutes was a classic curling finish to secure the win.
From there, Algeria's energy dissipated and Argentina being able to settle down for the closing stages and Scaloni using the platform to give time to players in the squad ahead of their next group game.
Lionel Messi made a massive difference by outscoring the other players, with all three goals and reaching Argentina's 16th World Cup tally, tying Klose, in his 200th international appearance.
Alexis Mac Allister was directly involved in the second goal, with his strong shot forcing the parry that Messi used to score, and a first-half header which narrowly missed a goal.
Luca Zidane, who has conceded three goals, found himself in a number of challenging situations and can't be blamed for individual mistakes against a finisher as talented as Messi.
Anis Hadj Moussa and Fares Chaibi were the most promising attacking outlets for Algeria, with Hadj Moussa getting the keeper's best save of the game and Chaibi's early effort being disallowed for offside.
Algeria's captain Aissa Mandi was the defensive leader, and admitted in the post-match press that Messi was a challenge.
There were no incidents that would make the decision for suspension for either side's next match.
Argentina prepared to leave Messi alone with space to move, having midfield players such as Mac Allister ready to pass him the ball. It was a slow start but then picked up a bit after the break when Messi scored twice late in the game. One of the most obvious positive attributes was the team's capacity to build good chances from relatively short, but occasionally long, possession runs and the one thing that remains to be seen is how Scaloni's men will manage to get attacking momentum off of Messi's shoulders and get it from the rest of the group.
Algeria got themselves into a tight shape in the centre of the field and managed to give only up by individual brilliance, and not by structural failure, for about an hour. They were promising in their counter attack outlets, mainly down the flanks via Hadj Moussa. The best thing they could do, as captain Aissa Mandi admitted following the bout, is to come up with a way to stop just one top-class quality difference-maker for the full 90 minutes as their defensive strategy was twice upended.
After Matchday 1, the Groups are in the following positions:
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Argentina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| 2 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Jordan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Algeria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
The Argentine triumph puts them in first place in the table with the potential of a maximum return and a comfortable goal-difference lead into a key clash with Austria. By contrast, Algeria will have to secure a positive result against Jordan to have any hope of not just keeping their qualification hopes alive, but realistically maintaining them, with one match left to play.
The swing in Argentina's goal difference from the one match (+3) could be a big factor in Group J, while that of Austria against Jordan will determine the dynamics of the group table as it enters the second round of matches.
Argentina were strong favourites heading into the game due to being the defending champion and because Messi remains a key player for the team. With news of Messi's involvement, the moneyline on Argentina shrank even more, a common occurrence for games involving the Argentine captain.
Algeria's defence had been the reason for over/under markets to be on the low side of the goals column, but Argentina eventually managed to find three in the match, pushing it over the usual pre-match totals. Both teams were given second-half chances, but they were shortchanged in Argentina which prevailed in the end, with Algeria failing to score a second.
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Lionel Messi (ARGENTINA) was given the Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match award, which was easy to decide. The hat-trick provided Argentina with all their goal production, his third strike matched the World Cup record for most goals in a game set by Miroslav Klose, the hat-trick came in his milestone 200th international game, and the scoring came six days after Venezuela's Odri Sanchez scored his fourth in his match against Nigeria, giving him a 4-3 advantage over Klose. There were few individual plays that better summed up a match result than Messi's in Kansas City.
| Team | Opponent | Competition | Date | Venue |
| Argentina | Austria | FIFA World Cup 2026, Group J | June 22 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
| Algeria | Jordan | FIFA World Cup 2026, Group J | June 22 | Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara |
Argentina will be mindful of Messi's workload as they face a more demanding challenge in a well organised midfield against Austria, and a victory could see them booked in for a final in the group stage. Algeria are looking to bring back their disciplined defensive organisation from their first hour against Argentina, and add the finishing touch of more clinical finishing in the last third, if they are to keep their World Cup alive against Jordan.
Argentina's first game of their FIFA World Cup 2026 title defence was a result and a piece of football history. Lionel Messi had a hat trick which was the sole reason behind the 3-0 victory over Algeria and which matched Miroslav Klose's world cup record for goals scored in a match. Messi's hat trick came exactly 20 years after his debut in the World cup.
The most obvious talking point was undeniable: Messi is still the difference between Argentina as a good team and Argentina as a great team, and his record-breaking display against Algeria has set the tone for the rest of the way to the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Austrian side should be much sharper after Round 2 of Group J after they face a challenging Algeria clash against Jordan.
The Argentina team beat the Algerian team 3-0 on June 16, 2026 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Lionel Messi netted the three Argentina goals in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes.
Argentina's victory was 3-0.
Lionel Messi was awarded Play of the Match for his hat trick.
With three points and a +3 goal difference, Argentina led the group and Algeria were bottom of the table after a first match defeat.
On June 22, 2026, Argentina will play against Austria in AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
