The defending world champions, Argentina, have launched their World Cup 2026 campaign in triumphant fashion. In their opening Group Stage fixture, Lionel Scaloni’s side eased to a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Algeria.

While Algeria may not provide the sternest test of Argentina’s credentials, it was impossible not to notice that Argentina and Messi looked as though no time had passed since their historic 2022 World Cup triumph. The encounter began at a breathless tempo, with both sides finding the net inside the opening minutes, though both efforts were swiftly ruled out for offside.

A breakthrough was not long in coming, however. In the 17th minute, Lionel Messi took matters into his own hands, driving through the central area before unleashing an unstoppable strike to open the scoring. Some observers might point to a positioning error from goalkeeper Luca Zidane—son of the legendary Zinedine Zidane, who watched intently from the stands—but stopping Messi in this mood is an almost impossible task.

Algeria certainly found no answers. The African nation struggled to match Argentina’s tempo, consistently failing to match their opponents' intensity. Furthermore, despite occasionally dominating possession, they appeared completely devoid of ideas on how to break into the final third. Ultimately, Algeria’s attacking output told its own story, with the side failing to register a single shot on target throughout the entire 90 minutes.

Messi resumed his masterclass after the interval. In the 60th minute, Alexis Mac Allister unleashed a powerful 25-yard effort which Zidane could only parry back into the danger zone, allowing an alert Messi to coolly slot home his second of the night. That strike left Messi just one goal shy of Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup record of 16 goals. The legendary Argentine wasted no time in catching his German counterpart, completing the first hat-trick of the 2026 tournament in the 76th minute with another clinical finish.

Whether anyone can stop Argentina and Messi remains the defining question of this tournament. A resounding opening statement has been made, and the world awaits the next chapter on June 22, when the holders face Austria.

World Cup 2026

Argentina - Algeria 3:0 (1:0)
Goals: Messi, 17 (1:0); Messi, 60 (2:0); Messi, 76 (3:0)

Argentina: Martinez E.; Martínez Li.; Romero C. (Otamendi, 80); Montiel (Molina N., 46); Medina F.; Fernandez E.; De Paul; Mac Allister A.; Almada (Gonzalez N., 55); Martínez L. (Álvarez Jul., 55); Messi (Nico Paz, 80)
Substitution: Molina N. (from 46); Gonzalez N. (from 55); Álvarez Jul. (from 55); Otamendi (from 80); Nico Paz (from 80)
Bench: Musso; Rulli; Barco; Senesi; Tagliafico; Paredes L.; Lo Celso; Palacios Ex.; López José; Simeone G-o

Algeria: Zidane L.; Belghali; Mandi; Aït-Nouri; Bensebaini; Chaïbi; Boudaoui; Bentaleb (Boulbina, 81); Hadj Moussa (Mahrez, 64); Maza (Zerrouki, 81); Gouiri (Aouar, 64; Amoura, 64)
Substitution: Aouar (from 64 till 64); Amoura (from 64); Mahrez (from 64); Zerrouki (from 81); Boulbina (from 81)
Bench: Mastil; Benbot; Abada; Tougai; Belaïd; Chergui; Hadjam; Titraoui; Ghedjemis; Benbouali

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