Lionel Messi has achieved a historic milestone in the World Cup, becoming the tournament's all-time top scorer with 18 goals during Argentina's match against Austria in the 2026 World Cup.
After matching Germany's Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals in the first round by scoring a hat-trick against Algeria, the Argentina captain succeeded in taking the all-time lead by scoring the first goal in the 39th minute against Austria.
The Argentina national team advanced to the Round of 32 after defeating Austria 2-0 in their second group stage match in the 2026 World Cup.
The goal came just minutes after Lionel Messi missed an early penalty, which he compensated for with a low shot with his left foot that found the net, marking his place at the top of the World Cup all-time scoring chart.
The match also featured a new negative record for Messi, who missed a penalty in the ninth minute, awarded to Argentina after a VAR review for a foul on Lautaro Martínez. Messi capitalized on a counter-attack he initiated and it returned to him, shooting first but was saved by the goalkeeper, before he followed up to score a brace (90+5) against Belgium.
History is made. Lionel Messi is the all-time top goalscorer in @FIFAWorldCup history! pic.twitter.com/iv8Oelxic2
Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, is competing in his sixth World Cup and continues to add records to his legendary career, just two days before his thirty-ninth birthday. Following Messi's latest achievement, the elite list of World Cup top scorers has changed as follows:
In related news: Discover the teams that have qualified for the Round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup officially.
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