Lionel Messi once again enlarged his legend on an unforgettable night for the Argentine National Team On Tuesday, June 16, in the national team's debut at the 2026 World Cup held in Kansas City, the captain scored three goals in the 3-0 victory against Algeria. With this hat-trick, Messi reached 16 goals in World Cups, tying the historical record held by German Miroslav Klose.
The match turned into a true festival for the albiceleste fans, who watched their idol lead the victory with authority Twenty years after his debut in Germany 2006, the Rosario native achieved another impressive milestone: he became the first player to participate in six different World Cups. This generates enormous hope for revalidating the title obtained in Qatar 2022.
Regarding television viewership, the match set a record on local open TV. On Telefe, the game recorded a rating of 34.8 points, being the most-watched of the day and the highest measurement since the final of the Qatar World Cup. According to IBOPE data, it far surpassed other broadcasts of the day.
The impact on the small screen
The broadcast of the match generated great anticipation, and the numbers reflected it On Telefe, the post-match of Argentina versus Algeria reached 16.8 points, while the pre-match measured 15.8. This demonstrates the enormous interest that the National Team arouses in every match.











