Lionel Messi's record-breaking journey at the FIFA World Cup reached another extraordinary milestone as the Argentina captain became the first player in the tournament's history to score in eight consecutive matches.
The historic feat came during Argentina's Round of 32 clash against Cabo Verde at the FIFA World Cup 2026, where Messi once again delivered on the biggest stage. Latching onto a perfectly weighted pass from Lisandro MartÍnez, the Argentine icon controlled the ball brilliantly before calmly finishing past the goalkeeper to hand the defending champions the lead.
The goal not only put Argentina in control but also extended Messi's astonishing scoring streak to eight successive World Cup matches-a record unmatched in the competition's
96-year history.
The 39-year-old had already rewritten the record books in the group stage by becoming the first footballer to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches. Against Cabo Verde, he surpassed his own mark to create yet another landmark achievement.
Messi's remarkable run dates back to Argentina's triumphant 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar. Since opening his knockout-stage account against Australia in the Round of 16, he has found the net in every World Cup appearance that followed, carrying the streak seamlessly into the 2026 tournament.
Lionel Messi creates New Record
The latest strike also took the Argentine superstar's overall World Cup tally to 20 goals, further strengthening his position as the competition's all-time leading scorer in the ongoing 2026 tournament simulation. Along with that, the Argentine has now also become the first player to score 7 or more goals in two different editions of the World Cup.
Lionel Messi Goals in FIFA WC 2022
Lionel Messi delivered one of the greatest individual World Cup campaigns in history at Qatar 2022, scoring seven goals to inspire Argentina to their third world title. He opened with a penalty against Saudi Arabia before netting a stunning strike against Mexico to revive Argentina's campaign. Messi then scored against Australia in the Round of 16, converted a penalty versus the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, found the net against Croatia in the semi-finals, and scored twice in the epic final against France-once from the penalty spot and again in extra time-to cap a historic triumph.
⚽ Saudi Arabia (P)
⚽ Mexico
⚽ Australia
⚽ Netherlands (P)
⚽ Croatia
⚽⚽ France (P) (Final)
Lionel Messi Goals in FIFA WC 2026
Lionel Messi has started this World Cup in sublime fashion with a hat-trick against Algeria, and then a brace against Austria. He has netted in all four matches so far.
⚽⚽⚽ Algeria (Hat-trick)
⚽⚽ Austria
⚽ Jordan
⚽ Cape Verde
