The match, played at Arrowhead Stadium in the United States, saw defending world champions Argentina take on African representatives Algeria.
Messi opened the scoring in the 17th minute after receiving a pass from Rodrigo De Paul. He added his second goal in the 60th minute before completing his hat-trick in the 76th minute with an assist from Nico González.
With his three goals in a single match, the 38-year-old Messi became the joint all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 16 goals, equaling the record held by German legend Miroslav Klose.
At 38 years and 357 days old, Messi also became the oldest player ever to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match, surpassing a record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who set it in 2018.
In addition, Messi matched Ronaldo’s achievement of scoring in five different FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Playing his 200th match for Argentina, it was Messi’s first-ever World Cup hat-trick. He also remains the youngest player in Argentina’s history to score a World Cup goal.
In another match played earlier in Group I, Norway defeated Iraq 4-1, with Erling Haaland scoring twice to inspire the victory.
