Lionel Messi made history once again on Tuesday, this time by equalling the all-time goalscoring record in the World Cup with a hattrick against Algeria. He scored each of the goals in Argentina's 3-0 win at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., also notching the first hattrick of this summer's tournament with his performance. The goal to complete the hattrick in the 76th minute with a clinical finish from the edge of the penalty area, which also marked his first career hattrick at the World Cup. He is now level with Germany's Miroslav Klose with the record and surpassed both France's Kylian Mbappe and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo en route, though both will have the chance to add to their tallies this summer – and the same goes for Messi.
FIFA WORLD CUP HAT TRICK FOR MESSI! 🇦🇷
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
Lionel Messi ties Miroslav Klose for the most goals in Men’s FIFA World Cup history with 16 🐐 pic.twitter.com/vw6bl65w7s
