Messi, Mbappe, and Haaland Shine in World Cup Scoring Race

Lionel Messi scored three goals to lead Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Algeria in their World Cup group stage match on June 17, 2026, at Kansas City Stadium in Missouri, USA. [Photo: Yonhap News, Reuters]

World football's top scorers kicked off a fierce race for the Golden Boot in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup. Lionel Messi of Argentina achieved the tournament's first hat trick, while Kylian Mbappe of France and Erling Haaland of Norway each scored twice to lead their teams to decisive victories.

Messi scored three goals in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria in their Group J opener at Kansas City Stadium on June 17. He netted the first goal in the 17th minute and added two more in the second half, at the 60th and 76th minutes.

This performance marked Messi's 200th international match. With his three goals, he now has a total of 16 goals in World Cup history, tying the all-time record held by Miroslav Klose of Germany. Additionally, he became the first player to appear in six consecutive World Cup tournaments.

Messi also set a new record for the oldest player to score a hat trick in World Cup history, achieving this feat at 38 years and 357 days old. The previous record was held by Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a hat trick at the age of 33 during the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Messi now holds the record for the most all-time World Cup goal contributions (goals plus assists), surpassing Pele's previous record of 22 with a total of 24 (16 goals and 8 assists).

Kylian Mbappe scored two goals to help France secure a 3-1 victory over Senegal in their World Cup group stage match on June 17, 2026, at New York/New Jersey Stadium. [Photo: Yonhap News, Reuters]

Mbappe, the top scorer of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, also made history on June 17 at New York/New Jersey Stadium, scoring two goals in France's 3-1 win over Senegal. He opened the scoring in the 66th minute with an assist from Michael Olise and sealed the victory with a powerful long-range shot in stoppage time.

With these goals, Mbappe reached 58 career international goals and 14 World Cup goals, breaking both Olivier Giroud's record for the most goals by a French national team player (57) and Just Fontaine's record for the most World Cup goals by a French player (13) in a single match.

Haaland, making his World Cup debut, also showcased his talent in Norway's 4-1 victory over Iraq in their group stage match at Boston Stadium on June 17. He scored the opening goal in the 29th minute and added another in the 43rd minute.

Erling Haaland scored two goals to lead Norway to a 4-1 victory over Iraq in their World Cup group stage match on June 17, 2026, at Boston Stadium. [Photo: Yonhap News, Reuters]

Haaland, a three-time Premier League top scorer, demonstrated his exceptional physical ability and goal-scoring prowess on the World Cup stage.

Norway's victory marked their first World Cup win in 28 years since the 1998 France tournament.

With both Norway and France securing their first wins, Norway leads Group I on goal difference, with France in second place. The two star strikers, Haaland and Mbappe, will face off in a highly anticipated match on June 27 at Boston Stadium.

* This article has been translated by AI.

Kang Sang Heon ksh@ajunews.com