Lionel Messi at FIFA World Cups: A visual story of his goals

Lionel Messi scores Argentina’s second goal during the World Cup Group J match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas on June 22, 2026.

| Photo Credit: AP

After a stunning three-goal opener against Algeria on June 16, 2026, Argentina captain Lionel Messi climbed the ranks of footballers with the most goals scored during FIFA World Cups. He was tied with Germany’s Miroslav Klose after that match. The goal on June 22, 2026, at around the 38-minute mark against Austria, has given him 17 goals, putting him first.Lionel Messi’s FIFA World Cup debut came in 2006, when he played for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro at 18. He scored one goal for the team, which won 6-0. Since then, Messi has scored goals in every World Cup except in 2010.In 2022, he scored a goal at every stage of the tournament — group stage, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinal and the final thriller against France — as Argentina lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time since 1986.

Messi’s goals in FIFA World Cups

Here is a look at how other players have performed in the competition. Germany’s Klose played in fewer games compared to Messi, even though both of them have scored the same number of goals in their World Cup careers.While Messi is on top for the number of goals, when calculating goals per 90 minutes of these top scorers, he figures lower down the order. France’s Kylian Mbappe, among Messi’s contemporaries, boasts 1.03 goals per 90 minutes played.Some of Messi’s goals have come at crucial times for Argentina, ensuring they either emerge as winners, or draw level. The goal against Iran (2014) came in stoppage time of the second half with the score at 0-0. In the same year, his goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 65th minute, and the second for the team, turned out to be the winning goal after Bosnia scored one. Messi’s hat-trick game against Algeria on June 16, 2026, came after some “difficult days” for the captain, leaving him emotional on the pitch. It was later revealed that his father was dealing with health issues.