Lionel Messi has scored seven goals in four games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That’s the same number he netted across the entire 2022 tournament, except he did it in nearly half the matches this time around.
The 39-year-old, playing in his sixth World Cup, is now the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history with at least 20 career goals. He’s also the first player ever to score seven goals in two different World Cup editions.
What the numbers actually look like
Messi’s scoring pace in 2026 is historically unusual. Seven goals in four matches puts him at 1.75 goals per game, a rate that, if sustained through Argentina’s remaining fixtures, would challenge single-tournament records that have stood for decades.
He’s currently among the leaders for the Golden Boot alongside Kylian Mbappe. Messi has scored in consecutive matches, extending a record scoring streak that cements his status as the most productive World Cup forward the sport has seen.
