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.
For its part, TV Pública also felt the effect of the match and recorded 3.3 points with the broadcast, being the most-watched on that channel Other programs that competed simultaneously, such as Bienvenidos a bordo on elnueve or Upgrade on El Trece, obtained much lower figures.
In the rest of the channels, the supremacy of the National Team was clear. Programs like Intrusos on América or the news broadcasts from different signals were overshadowed by the World Cup frenzy. The overall average of Telefe climbed to 14.0 points thanks to the boost from the match.
A historic mark for the Ten
Messi not only shone on the field with his first hat-trick in a World Cup, but he also left an indelible mark in the history of football Tying Klose's record at this stage reinforces his status as a global icon and generates enormous expectations for Argentina's upcoming commitments in the tournament.
The 3-0 victory against Algeria allows for hopes of a good path in the competition The passionate Argentine fans are already dreaming of repeating the glory of Qatar and continuing to celebrate the goals of the best player in the world.
This dream debut in Kansas City marks the beginning of a new World Cup adventure for the Albiceleste. With Messi at the forefront, the team seeks to advance rounds and maintain the high level shown in recent years. The audience numbers confirm that the entire country was attentive to this great victory.
