Messi Sets New World Cup Hat-Trick Record

Lionel Messi rewrites the record book again. This time, he does it with the one statistic that always cuts through the noise: a World Cup hat-trick.

On a warm Tuesday night in Kansas City, with a sold-out crowd packed into Kansas City Stadium, the 38-year-old Argentina captain dragged the spotlight back to himself and away from every other storyline. Algeria were the opponents, Group J the stage, and Messi the entire script. Argentina won 3-0. He scored all three.

Messi passes Ronaldo — again

For years, the GOAT debate has circled around Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, each new record immediately thrown into the scales. In Kansas City, Messi quietly tipped them again.

At 38 years and 357 days old, he became the oldest player ever to score a World Cup hat-trick, overtaking Ronaldo’s previous mark. The Portuguese forward had set the standard at the 2018 World Cup, when he hit three against Spain at 33 years and 130 days. That felt like a record built to last.

It lasted eight years.

Messi’s treble against Algeria was not just a statistical footnote. It framed Argentina’s entire World Cup entry. The defending champions walked into the 2026 tournament with every expectation, every demand, every doubt on their shoulders. They walked out of their opener with three points, a clean sheet, and a captain who looks in no mood to pass the torch.

Group J under early Argentine control

Argentina sit in Group J alongside Austria, Jordan, and Algeria, a section they are widely expected to dominate. Messi’s hat-trick has already given them the early advantage. Three points from one game, top of the group, and the rhythm of a champion side beginning to hum again.

Next comes Austria on Monday, then Jordan five days later. Both matches will be played at Dallas Stadium, a change of city but not of pressure. Every opponent knows what they are up against now: the team that lifted the trophy in 2022 and the man still rewriting what a late-career World Cup can look like.

Ronaldo waits his turn

While Messi has already stamped his mark on this tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo is still waiting to step onto the 2026 stage.

Portugal open their campaign on Wednesday against the Democratic Republic of Congo at Miami Stadium. Uzbekistan follow on Tuesday, then Colombia on June 27, all in the same arena, all under the gaze of a forward who once owned the “oldest hat-trick” record Messi has just taken.

The objective for Portugal is simple: secure at least second place in their group and move into the knockout rounds, where 30 other teams will join them. The same applies to Argentina, though their ambitions run far higher than simply surviving the group.

Targets on Argentina’s backs

No team arrives at this World Cup with a bigger target than Argentina. They are the reigning champions, the side that broke a 36-year wait by beating Kylian Mbappé and France on penalties in that epic 2022 final. Every rival wants their crown. Every rival wants their moment against Messi.

Yet on the evidence of Kansas City, the burden still sits comfortably on his shoulders. At an age when most legends are waving goodbye from the stands or the studio, Messi is still deciding World Cup nights on his own.

Ronaldo’s turn comes next in Miami. The records have shifted again. The stage is shared, the debate renewed, and the tournament has only just begun.