Oldest player to score a hat-trick in the FIFA football (soccer) World Cup

The oldest player to score a hat-trick in the FIFA football (soccer) World Cup is Lionel Messi (Argentina, b. 24 June 1987), aged 38 years 357 days, playing for Argentina against Algeria in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, on 16 June 2026.

Lionel Messi made World Cup history during Argentina’s 3–0 defeat of Algeria, scoring all three goals at the age of 38 and equalling Miroslav Klose’s all-time record of 16 goals at the tournament. On his 200th international appearance, Messi became the first men’s player to appear at six World Cups. It was exactly 20 years since his first appearance – and goal – at the tournament, during Argentina’s 6–0 win over Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.