Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick as Argentina blew past Algeria 3-0 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener on Tuesday (June 16).
The legendary footballer was on song in his final World Cup edition, scoring a scintillating hat-trick in the match. He scored a scorching goal in the first half, and backed it up with two more in the second half of the encounter.
Argentina, who are the defending champions, have thus made a superb start to their campaign as they go atop the Group I points table.
Hat-tricks have always been among the most celebrated achievements in FIFA World Cup history. From the inaugural tournament in 1930 through the 2022 edition in Qatar, a total of 55 hat-tricks have been recorded in the men’s World Cup. The feat was first accomplished by American forward Bert Patenaude, who scored three goals against Paraguay during the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay.
The most recent hat-trick before today came in one of the tournament’s biggest stages when France star Kylian Mbappé netted three times against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final.
Lionel Messi Oldest to World Cup Hat-Trick
At the age of 38, Lionel Messi thus becomes the oldest player in history to score a World Cup hat-trick. The Argentina star has gone past his contemporary rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who held the record when he scored a hattrick against Spain in the 2018 World Cup, at the age of 33 back then.
Story first published: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 8:35 [IST]
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