Messi becomes World Cup’s all-time top scorer with 18 goals

Lionel Messi reached 18 World Cup goals with a two-goal performance against Austria in Arlington, Texas, on June 23, 2026, moving past Miroslav Klose and into sole possession of the tournament’s all-time scoring record. The latest burst did more than add another milestone to Messi’s résumé. It pushed his World Cup legacy into a category reserved for the most durable players in the sport, the ones whose greatness lasted long enough to span eras.

The record had belonged to Klose since the 2014 World Cup, when the former Germany striker scored his 16th tournament goal in the 7-1 semifinal rout of Brazil. For more than a decade, that total stood as the benchmark for World Cup finishing. Messi’s run now sits above it, with the Argentine captain overtaking Klose by two goals and reshaping a hierarchy that had long seemed settled.

What makes Messi’s climb stand apart is the timeline. His six World Cup appearances stretch across 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026, turning a record chase into a two-decade career arc. He was already central to Argentina’s title run in Qatar in 2022, when he scored twice in the final against France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022. Argentina drew 3-3 and won 4-2 on penalties, with Messi scoring in the 23rd and 108th minutes of one of the most dramatic finals in World Cup history.

That tournament also sealed a unique place in the record book. FIFA said Messi became the first player to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a single World Cup. By the time he added his latest goals against Austria, the conversation had shifted from a single record to the scale of his entire international career.

Messi also now holds the World Cup record for appearances, with 26 matches, underscoring how longevity became the foundation of his scoring crown. FIFA’s historical goals table places him ahead of Klose, Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Pelé, Gerd Müller and Just Fontaine. In a tournament that often crowns brief bursts of brilliance, Messi’s record lands differently: it is the product of sustained elite production, and it has arrived late enough to define the final chapter of his World Cup story.