Career World Cup goals (all-time record, men and women)
20
Goals at 2026 FIFA World Cup (tournament leader)
7
World Cups played across his career
6
Different opponents scored against (another all-time record)
14
Years between first and 20th World Cup goal
20
The number that changes football history
On 3 July 2026, in a Round of 32 match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Lionel Messi converted a first-time left-foot finish to reach 20 career World Cup goals. No player in any edition of any FIFA World Cup, men or women, has scored more. He passed Kylian Mbappe (18), Miroslav Klose (16), Gerd Muller (14), and Marta of Brazil (17 in the women's tournament) along the way. He began this journey as a 19-year-old substitute in Germany 2006 and completed it as a 38-year-old captain playing his sixth and almost certainly final World Cup.
"I never thought about the numbers when I was young. I just wanted to win. But now I think about how lucky I am to still be playing and still be here.
"Lionel Messi
The 2026 edition alone may rank among his greatest World Cup performances. His hat-trick against Algeria in the group stage was the first by an Argentinian in any World Cup since Guillermo Stabile in 1930. He has now scored in 8 consecutive World Cup matches, a record that no other player is within three appearances of matching.
The all-time top five World Cup scorers (as of 4 July 2026)
1. Lionel Messi, Argentina: 20 goals
2. Kylian Mbappe, France: 18 goals
3. Miroslav Klose, Germany: 16 goals
4. Gerd Muller, West Germany: 14 goals
5. Just Fontaine, France: 13 goals (all in 1958)
Mbappe, 27 and France's captain at this tournament, is well placed to challenge the record at 2030 and 2034. He needs 3 goals in the remainder of 2026 to draw level with Messi today. But Messi continues to score. No one is safe.
