Lionel Messi became the first footballer to play in six FIFA World Cups and joined Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s joint all-time leading scorer with 16 World Cup goals.
Defending champions Argentina began their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion on Tuesday, with Lionel Messi scoring a historic hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over Algeria National Football Team as four matches concluded across Groups I and J.
The night’s biggest story belonged to Messi, who became the first player to appear in six FIFA World Cups and marked his 200th international appearance by scoring the first World Cup hat-trick of his career. The 38-year-old’s three goals lifted his World Cup tally to 16, drawing level with German legend Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s joint all-time leading scorer.
Argentina dominated proceedings at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, with Messi opening the scoring in the 17th minute before adding goals in the 60th and 76th minutes to seal a comfortable win and give the holders an ideal start in Group J.
Meanwhile in Group I, France defeated Senegal 3-1, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice. The French captain’s brace saw him surpass Olivier Giroud to become France’s all-time leading goalscorer with 58 international goals.
“There are still people out there who will criticise him but he is an extraordinary player,” France coach Didier Deschamps said after the match. “Not everything came off for him, but he can win games in one moment.”
Group I also saw Norway register a convincing 4-1 victory over Iraq. Making his World Cup debut, Erling Haaland scored twice to continue his remarkable international scoring record, taking his tally to 57 goals in just 51 appearances for Norway.
After Iraq briefly equalised through Aymen Hussein, Haaland restored Norway’s lead before halftime, with substitute Leo Ostigard adding a third and an own goal from Hussein completing the rout.
“You could see that he adapted to the occasion, the occasion wasn’t too big for him,” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said.
In the final match of the day, Austria defeated World Cup debutants Jordan 3-1 in Santa Clara to open their Group J campaign with three points.
The results leave Argentina and Austria level on three points in Group J, while France and Norway share the early lead in Group I after winning their opening fixtures.
Results – June 16
Group I
- France 3–1 Senegal
- Iraq 1–4 Norway
Group J
- Argentina 3–0 Algeria
- Austria 3–1 Jordan
