In the lead-up to this World Cup, some people whispered:
- Why is Lionel Messi playing again, after propelling Argentina to the title four years ago?
- A week shy of his 39th birthday, was he too old? Was he fit enough?
On Tuesday, as Argentina began defense of its World Cup championship, the doubters are no longer doubting.
Messi scored not one, not two, but three goals against Algeria in a 3-0 victory in the opening match of Group J in front of a capacity crowd of nearly 70,000 at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium.
In a remarkable career, Messi managed to do something that he'd not done before at the World Cup: a hat-trick. Twenty years to the day he scored his first World Cup goal, he moved into a tie for the all-time goal scoring lead with 16 (even with Germany's Miroslav Klose).
Messi's three goals set up what's expected to be a thrilling subplot to this World Cup: Who will win the Golden Boot award, given to the top goal scorer at every World Cup.
Like Messi, French superstar Kylian Mbappé had a standout day Tuesday, scoring twice in France's 3-1 win over Senegal (he now has 14 World Cup goals overall, surpassing Brazilian great Pele, and tying for third place). Erling Haaland also tallied two goals in Norway's 4-1 victory against Iraq. Other players with notable performances so far include Folarin Balogun of the U.S., New Zealand's Elijah Just, and Germany's Kai Havertz, who each have scored twice.
Several other stars are hoping to add their names to the Golden Boot scoreboard on Wednesday. Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal's World Cup tournament opener against the Democratic Republic of Congo. At 41, it's unclear how much playing time he'll see. Also on Wednesday, Harry Kane of England and Croatia's Luka Modrić square off in a Group L match of heavyweights.
If the opening days of the 2026 World Cup are any indication, the goal scoring and records will keep getting broken.
Copyright 2026 NPR
