Argentina opened its 2026 World Cup campaign with a 3-0 victory over Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Lionel Messi scoring all three goals to hand the reigning champions three early points.
The result carried weight beyond the scoreline: Messi’s first hat-trick of the tournament moved him to 16 World Cup goals, drawing him level with Miroslav Klose atop the competition’s all-time scorers list. The goals themselves were a snapshot of Messi’s range — the first and third came as left-footed shots from outside the area, while the second was a right-footed finish from inside the six-yard box after a weak rebound from goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
Those details mattered in a match that never threatened to become frantic. Argentina controlled the tempo, and Messi’s three finishes removed any doubt. The 3-0 scoreline gives Argentina an immediate advantage in Group J and delivers the straightforward answer to the question many Spanish-language viewers are asking: cómo quedó Argentina — 3-0, with Messi the scorer of every goal.
Context sharpens what the result means. Argentina enters the rest of the group stage as the defending World Cup champion, so expectations are high; a dominant opening match helps, but it does not settle the group. Historically, meetings with Austria have been notable for Argentina — a 5-1 win in Vienna in 1980 that featured three goals from Diego Armando Maradona and a 1-1 draw in Vienna in 1990 with a goal from Jorge Burruchaga — reminders that familiar opponents can still produce surprising outcomes.
That history frames the immediate calendar: Argentina’s next match is against Austria on Monday, June 22, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. The venue seats 80,000 spectators and can expand to 94,000; it opened in 2009 after four years of construction. Austria will arrive in Dallas after debuting against Jordan, and tickets for the Argentina–Austria match remain available through StubHub, with prices starting at 250 dollars.
Here is the tension. Even after a convincing opening win, Argentina is being described as needing to beat Austria — a compact way of saying the margin for error in a short group stage is small. The victory in Kansas City bought Argentina security for one matchday but did not remove the necessity of a positive result in Dallas if the team wants to control its path out of Group J.
Practical stakes are simple and immediate: a win on Monday would leave Argentina well placed with six points; anything less would reintroduce pressure in a group that has only a few matches to sort itself out. What remains unresolved is how the rest of Group J will look after the other first-round games — the standings are still taking shape and Argentina’s run will be clearer only after the Austria game.
For now, the verdict is direct: Argentina started with a statement — Messi’s hat-trick and a 3-0 scoreline at Arrowhead — but the next and arguably decisive chapter comes in Dallas on June 22, when a win will convert a promising opening into clear control of Group J.
