38-year-old Lionel Messi scored his record-breaking 17th FIFA World Cup goal on Monday (June 22) and added another before the final whistle to help Argentina register their second straight win of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In the Group J match played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in front of 70,649 fans, Messi’s brace guided Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria.
The win over Austria helped Argentina book their place in the Round of 32 of the ongoing 48-team tournament in North America. It also enabled Messi to break the record for the most FIFA World Cup matches won by a player.
All the records broken by Lionel Messi today:
Most FIFA World Cup finals goals by a football (soccer) player – 18
Most FIFA World Cup matches played in by an individual –
28
Most matches won by a player at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup – 18
Most minutes played in the…
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) June 22, 2026
Messi, who is already the most-capped player in FIFA World Cup history with 28 appearances, has now also become the player with the most wins in the competition, with 18 victories to his name.
Messi is followed on the list by former Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who played 24 FIFA World Cup matches across four editions and won 17 of them.
Players to win most matches in FIFA World Cup
| POSITION | PLAYER | COUNTRY | MATCHES | WINS | TOURNAMENTS |
| 1. | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 28 | 18 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 2. | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 24 | 17 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 3. | Cafu | Brazil | 20 | 16 | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| =4. | Wolfgang Overath | West Germany | 19 | 15 | 1966, 1970, 1974 |
| =4. | Ronaldo | Brazil | 19 | 15 | 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| =4. | Philipp Lahm | Germany | 20 | 15 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| =4. | Bastian Schweinsteiger | Germany | 20 | 15 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| =4. | Lothar Matthaus | West Germany/Germany | 25 | 15 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| =5. | Lucio | Brazil | 17 | 14 | 2002, 2006, 2010 |
| =5. | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | 18 | 14 | 1966, 1970, 1974 |
| =5. | Olivier Giroud | France | 18 | 14 | 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| =5. | Antoine Griezmann | France | 19 | 14 | 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| =5. | Per Mertesacker | Germany | 19 | 14 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| =5. | Hugo Lloris | France | 20 | 14 | 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| =5. | Paolo Maldini | Italy | 23 | 14 | 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 |
Messi, who made his FIFA World Cup debut for Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 16, 2006, is one of only two players to have featured in six editions of the FIFA World Cup.
He has won 21 of his 28 FIFA World Cup matches for Argentina, including three victories in penalty shootouts. Two matches ended in draws, while five resulted in defeats.
Lionel Messi in FIFA World Cup
| EDITION | AGAINST | GOAL | RESULT | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Serbia and Montenegro | 1 | Win (6-0) | Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen | June 16, 2006 |
| Netherlands | 0 | Draw (0-0) | Waldstadion, Frankfurt | June 21, 2006 | |
| Mexico (R16) | 0 | Win (2-1 a.e.t) | Zentralstadion, Leipzig | June 24, 2006 | |
| 2010 | Nigeria | 0 | Win (1-0) | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | June 12, 2010 |
| South Korea | 0 | Win (4-1) | Soccer City, Johannesburg | June 17, 2010 | |
| Greece | 0 | Win (2-0) | Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane | June 22, 2010 | |
| Mexico (R16) | 0 | Win (3-1) | Soccer City, Johannesburg | June 27, 2010 | |
| Germany (Q/F) | 0 | Loss (0-4) | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town | July 3, 2010 | |
| 2014 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | Win (2-1) | Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro | June 15, 2014 |
| Iran | 1 | Win (1-0) | Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte | June 21, 2014 | |
| Nigeria | 2 | Win (3-2) | Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre | June 25, 2014 | |
| Switzerland (R16) | 0 | Win (1-0 a.e.t.) | Arena Corinthians, São Paulo | July 1, 2014 | |
| Belgium (Q/F) | 0 | Win (1-0) | Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília | July 5, 2014 | |
| Netherlands (Semifinal) | 0 | Draw (0-0) won on penalties | Arena Corinthians, São Paulo | July 9, 2014 | |
| Germany (Final) | 0 | Loss (0-1 a.e.t.) | Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro | July 13, 2014 | |
| 2018 | Iceland | 0 | Draw (1-1) | Otkritie Arena, Moscow | June 16, 2018 |
| Croatia | 0 | Loss (0-3) | Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod | June 21, 2018 | |
| Nigeria | 1 | Win (2-1) | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg | June 26, 2018 | |
| France (R16) | 0 | Loss (3-4) | Kazan Arena, Kazan | June 30, 2018 | |
| 2022 | Saudi Arabia | 1 | Loss (1-2) | Lusail Stadium, Lusail | November 22, 2022 |
| Mexico | 1 | Win (2-0) | Lusail Stadium, Lusail | November 26, 2022 | |
| Poland | 0 | Win (2-0) | Stadium 974, Doha | November 30, 2022 | |
| Australia (R16) | 1 | Win (2-1) | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan | December 3, 2022 | |
| Netherlands (Q/F) | 1 | Draw (2-2) won on penalties | Lusail Stadium, Lusail | December 9, 2022 | |
| Croatia (Semifinal) | 1 | Win (3-0) | Lusail Stadium, Lusail | December 13, 2022 | |
| France (Final) | 2 | Draw (3-3) won on penalties | Lusail Stadium, Lusail | December 18, 2022 | |
| 2026 | Algeria | 3 | Win (3-0) | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City | June 16, 2026 |
| Austria | 2 | Win (2-0) | AT&T Stadium, Arlington | June 22, 2026 |
Most goals in FIFA WC
After scoring a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Messi scored twice in Argentina’s second Group J match against Austria. The 38-year-old opened the scoring in the 39th minute and added his second goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time after the end of regulation time.
Messi’s opening goal helped him surpass former Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s tally of 16 goals and become the highest goal-scorer in FIFA World Cup history. He then extended his record tally to 18 goals before the final whistle.
