How many World Cup goals does Messi have?
Lionel Messi has 21 FIFA World Cup goals — the most in history. He surpassed Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals during the 2026 tournament hosted across the USA, Mexico and Canada, and has 8 goals in the 2026 tournament alone — 2nd in the Golden Boot race behind Mbappé's final tally of 10, with only the Final left to play.
Did Messi break the World Cup scoring record?
Yes. Messi broke the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record at the 2026 tournament. He equalled Klose's record of 16 with a hat trick against Algeria on June 16, extended it to 18 with a brace against Austria, reached 20 goals with further strikes in the Round of 32 against Cape Verde, then scored his 21st in the Round of 16 against Egypt as Argentina came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
Who had the record before Messi?
Miroslav Klose of Germany held the record with 16 World Cup goals across four tournaments (2002–2014). Before Klose, Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazario held it at 15 goals.
Is Messi the oldest player to score a World Cup hat trick?
Yes. At 38 years and 357 days old, Messi became the oldest player ever to score a World Cup hat trick against Algeria on June 16, 2026 — breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's previous record.
How does Messi compare to Ronaldo in World Cup goals?
Messi leads with 21 all-time World Cup goals. Ronaldo finished his World Cup career with 3 goals in the 2026 tournament (2 vs Uzbekistan, 1 penalty vs Croatia) before Portugal were eliminated 1-0 by Spain in the Round of 16. Messi also holds the record as the oldest World Cup hat trick scorer — previously held by Ronaldo.
How many World Cup tournaments has Messi scored in?
Six — 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026. He is the first player in history to score at six different World Cups, and the first to score in seven consecutive World Cup appearances.
Who does Argentina face in the Final?
Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time on July 11, 2026 at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, in the Quarter-final — Mac Allister opened the scoring (10'), Ndoye equalized for Switzerland (67'), then Julián Álvarez (112') and Lautaro Martínez (120+1') struck in extra time to seal it. Switzerland's first Quarter-final since 1954 ended in defeat. Argentina then beat England 2-1 in the Semi-final on July 15, 2026 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta — Anthony Gordon put England ahead (55'), Enzo Fernández equalized with a long-range strike (85'), and Lautaro Martínez scored the stoppage-time winner (90+2'), assisted by Messi. Argentina now face Spain in the Final on July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey. Full Final details →
Who is chasing Messi's World Cup scoring record?
Kylian Mbappé of France sits in second place all-time with 20 World Cup goals — just 1 behind Messi's record of 21. Mbappé finished the 2026 tournament as Golden Boot leader with 10 goals — held scoreless in the Semi-final loss to Spain (Jul 14), then a brace in the 6-4 Third-place match loss to England (Jul 18). His tally is now locked in, final, while Messi has one match left — the July 19 Final vs Spain — but would need 3 goals in that single game to overtake him. At 27, Mbappé has 2030 and 2034 ahead of him — giving him multiple opportunities to break Messi's all-time record.
Erling Haaland of Norway was the biggest story of the 2026 tournament — scoring 7 goals in his first ever World Cup, including a brace vs Brazil in the R16 (Norway's first-ever World Cup Quarter-final). His tournament ended on July 11 with a 2-1 extra-time Quarter-final loss to England, finishing tied 3rd in the Golden Boot race on 7 goals (level with Jude Bellingham, who scored in the Third-place match) — barely started, at 25, with multiple World Cups ahead. Haaland's World Cup 2026 story →
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has been eliminated — Portugal lost 0-1 to Spain (Merino 90+1') in R16. Ronaldo scored 3 goals in the 2026 tournament but could not prevent Portugal's exit. Ronaldo has confirmed 2026 was his final World Cup. Ronaldo's World Cup 2026 story →
Full 2026 Golden Boot tracker — Mbappé wins it on 10, Messi 2nd on 8 with the Final left →
Is this Messi's last World Cup?
Almost certainly yes. Messi turned 39 in June 2026 and has not publicly committed to playing the 2030 World Cup. He has described 2026 as likely his final tournament — making every Argentina match in the USA potentially his last on the world stage.
He arrived at this World Cup as the defending champion (Argentina won Qatar 2022), the all-time World Cup goals record holder, and the undisputed greatest player of his generation. With Argentina through to the Final against Spain on July 19 after beating England 2-1 in the Semi-final, Messi has just one match left — his last on the World Cup stage.
Can Messi add more goals at WC2026?
Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 on July 7, coming back from 2-0 down — Messi scored the equalizer in the 83rd minute. Argentina then beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in the Quarter-final on July 11 at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City — Messi did not score in that match, staying on 8 goals. Semi-final 1: Spain beat France 2-0 on July 14 in Dallas. Semi-final 2: Argentina beat England 2-1 on July 15 in Atlanta — Messi assisted Lautaro Martínez's stoppage-time winner but didn't score, staying on 8. France then lost 4-6 to England in the Third-place match on July 18, Mbappé scoring twice to finish his tournament on 10 goals, the outright Golden Boot lead. Messi now has exactly one match left to add to his tally: the Final vs Spain on July 19 at MetLife Stadium. He would need 3 goals in that single match to overtake Mbappé and win the Golden Boot outright — a tall order, but Messi has done bigger things.
What is Messi's World Cup hat trick goal breakdown?
Messi scored his record-equalling hat trick against Algeria on June 16, 2026 in the group stage. Argentina won 3-0. All three goals were scored by Messi — taking him level with Klose on 16 before he surpassed the record against Austria.