Lionel Messi, the man who has spent two decades making the impossible look routine, just did it again. On June 22, 2026, Messi scored his 17th FIFA World Cup goal during Argentina’s match against Austria in Dallas, Texas, breaking the all-time record previously held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose at 16.
He’s 38 years old. He’s playing in his sixth World Cup. And he’s now, definitively, the most prolific goal-scorer in the history of the tournament.
The path to 17
The record-breaking goal came in the 39th minute against Austria. What makes it even more Messi-like is that he had missed a penalty earlier in the same match. Messi just shrugged it off and scored from open play instead.
He had tied Klose’s record just six days earlier, on June 16, when he put three past Algeria in Argentina’s opening Group J fixture. That 3-0 win featured Messi’s first-ever World Cup hat-trick, bringing his tournament tally to 16 and setting the stage for the record-breaker against Austria.
