Lionel Messi didn’t just break a World Cup record Sunday — he broke it twice. The Argentina forward scored his 17th career World Cup goal against Austria on June 22, 2026, passing the previous all-time mark. Then he scored again, finishing the match with 18 — the most goals in World Cup tournament history by any player, men’s or women’s.
The record had stood across decades of competition at every level of the sport. Messi erased it in a single game.
Argentina’s match against Austria served as the backdrop, though the final score wasn’t immediately available. What was clear: Messi’s two-goal afternoon rewrote the record books in a way no previous tournament had managed — his total now exceeds every other scorer in the history of the men’s and women’s competitions combined.
At 38, Messi is playing in what is widely expected to be his last World Cup. The 2026 tournament is co-hosted across North America. Whether Argentina advances deep enough for him to add to the record remains to be seen.
