Barcelona beat Bolivia 6-0 on Tuesday in a South American qualifier for the 2026 World Cup. Lionel Messi scored a hat trick and set up two more goals.

Messi scored the first goal in the 19th minute after defender Marcelo Suarez made a mistake. This was only his second international game since he got hurt at the Copa América in July and had to heal.

Guillermo Viscarra, the goalie for Bolivia, made a few great stops to keep the home team from adding to their lead, but Lautaro Martinez scored in the 43rd minute after Messi sent in a quick cross.

Messi set up Julián Álvarez to score, making it 3-0 for Argentina just before halftime.

Argentina took control of the second half, and Thiago Almada, a substitute, scored a fourth goal from a pass by Nahuel Molina in the 70th minute. Messi then scored twice late in the game to cap off a great effort.

Winners of the Copa América With 22 points, Argentina is in first place, three points ahead of Colombia, which beat Chile earlier in the day.

The United States, Mexico, and Canada will all host the 2026 World Cup.