Lionel Messi Becomes 2nd Player In The World To Score 4+ Goals In 3 FIFA World Cup Editions

After scoring a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, scored twice in Argentina’s second Group J match against Austria on Monday (June 22).

In the fixture played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, 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.

Most goals in FIFA World Cup

POSITION	PLAYER	COUNTRY	MATCHES	GOALS	EDITIONS
1.	Lionel Messi	Argentina	28*	18*	2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
2.	Miroslav Klose	Germany	24	16	2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
3.	Ronaldo	Brazil	19	15	1994, 1998, 2002, 2006
=4.	Gerd Müller	West Germany	13	14	1970, 1974
=4.	Kylian Mbappe	France	15	14	2018, 2022, 2026
6.	Just Fontaine	France	6	13	1958
7.	Pele	Brazil	14	12	1958, 1962, 1966, 1970
=8.	Sándor Kocsis	Hungary	5	11	1954
=8.	Jürgen Klinsmann	West Germany/Germany	17	11	1990, 1994, 1998

The first goal against Austria also took Messi’s

tally to four goals in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making him only the second footballer after Klose to score at least four goals in three different FIFA World Cup editions.

Lionel Messi has now scored 4+ goals in three different men’s World Cups (2014, 2022, 2026).

The only other player to do it? 🇩🇪 Miroslav Klose. pic.twitter.com/91lgTXvfqM

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) June 22, 2026

Messi, who made his FIFA World Cup debut in 2006 and scored against Serbia and Montenegro on June 16, 2006, netted four goals in the 2014 edition and seven in 2022. He now has five goals to his name in the ongoing tournament.

Lionel Messi’s goals in FIFA World Cup

EDITION	GOAL	AGAINST	VENUE	DATE
2006	1	Serbia and Montenegro	Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen	June 16, 2006
2014	1	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro	June 15, 2014
	1	Iran	Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte	June 21, 2014
	2	Nigeria	Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre	June 25, 2014
2018	1	Nigeria	Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg	June 26, 2018
2022	1	Saudi Arabia	Lusail Stadium, Lusail	November 22, 2022
	1	Mexico	Lusail Stadium, Lusail	November 26, 2022
	1	Australia	Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan	December 3, 2022
	1	Netherlands	Lusail Stadium, Lusail	December 9, 2022
	1	Croatia	Lusail Stadium, Lusail	December 13, 2022
	2	France	Lusail Stadium, Lusail	December 18, 2022
2026	3	Algeria	Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City	June 16, 2026
	2	Austria	AT&T Stadium, Arlington	June 22, 2026

Klose, meanwhile, scored five goals each in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, four in the 2010 edition and two in the 2014 tournament, which Germany won by defeating Argentina in the final at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracanã Stadium.

Miroslav Klose’s goals in FIFA World Cup

EDITION	GOAL	AGAINST	VENUE	DATE
2002	3	Saudi Arabia	Sapporo Dome, Sapporo	June 1, 2002
	1	Republic of Ireland	Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima	June 5, 2002
	1	Cameroon	Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka	June 11, 2002
2006	2	Costa Rica	Allianz Arena, Munich	June 9, 2006
	2	Ecuador	Olympiastadion, Berlin	June 20, 2006
	1	Argentina	Olympiastadion, Berlin	June 30, 2006
2010	1	Australia	Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban	June 13, 2010
	1	England	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	June 27, 2010
	2	Argentina	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town	July 3, 2010
2014	1	Ghana	Estádio Castelão, Fortaleza	June 21, 2014
	1	Brazil	Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte	July 8, 2014

Messi’s opening goal against Austria also helped him become only the third footballer in FIFA World Cup history to score in six consecutive matches.

6 – Lionel Messi is the third player to score in six successive appearances at the FIFA World Cup after Just Fontaine in 1958 and Jairzinho in 1970.

Super. pic.twitter.com/DambEr9Lxi

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 22, 2026

He matched the feat first achieved by France’s Just Fontaine in 1958 and later equalled by Brazil’s Jairzinho.