Messi Breaks World Cup Scoring Record

Lionel Messi added another milestone to his remarkable career, becoming the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history as Argentina defeated Austria 2-0 to secure a place in the knockout stage.

The Argentina captain scored twice to surpass former Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals. The victory also made Argentina the fourth team, after the United States, Mexico, and Germany, to qualify for the Round of 32.

Messi has once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of football’s greatest players. His latest brace means he has scored all five of Argentina’s goals in its first two matches of the tournament, further strengthening his case as one of the defining figures of the World Cup.

Argentina’s breakthrough came late in the first half when Messi made amends for an earlier missed penalty. The forward beat Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager with a first-time left-footed finish to register his 17th World Cup goal and move past Klose atop the tournament’s all-time scoring list. In Argentina’s opening match against Algeria, Messi also found the net, although one of his goals was ruled out for offside.

The 39-year-old, who celebrates his birthday on June 24, completed his record-breaking performance deep into stoppage time. He followed up a shot from Julian Alvarez to score his second goal of the match and take his overall World Cup tally to 18.

Messi also leads the scoring charts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with five goals, including the hat-trick he scored in Argentina’s opening victory over Algeria.

Klose held the World Cup scoring record for 12 years after finding the net at every tournament from 2002 through 2014. Ahead of this World Cup, the German great anticipated that Messi would eventually surpass his mark.

Speaking to FIFA before the tournament, Klose said: “Messi is simply Messi. I’ve always admired the way he solved problems and the way he carried himself as a person, even on the pitch.

“He always brought his team to life. In 2006 he was on the bench and [Juan Roman] Riquelme played, until Messi was given that trust. What he then made of football, and the way he did it, I take my hat off to that. Huge compliment!

“I’ve always been a Messi fan, and now that he’s standing in front of me, I have to say: that’s not too bad either!”

Messi is appearing in a joint-record sixth World Cup and has scored in five different editions of the tournament. His first World Cup goal came against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.

After the match, the Argentine star admitted he was too exhausted to reflect on his favorite World Cup goal.

“I don’t know, to be honest, I can’t remember right now,” he told media. “I’m tired, I’m running low on energy, and I’m finding it hard to think, so anyway, I’m just going to enjoy this moment, and I’m looking forward to celebrating with my team-mates.”

Messi opened the scoring after Thiago Almada’s clever dummy allowed Facundo Medina’s pass to reach him inside the penalty area. He calmly placed his shot into the bottom corner before sealing the win with a second goal in injury time.

His historic performance in Dallas came despite an early penalty miss and several crucial interventions from Austrian defender David Alaba. Austria, coached by Ralf Rangnick, remained competitive throughout, with Marcel Sabitzer coming closest to scoring during his 100th international appearance. Nico Gonzalez also threatened for Argentina.

The result carried additional significance as it came on the 40th anniversary of Diego Maradona’s iconic goal against England. While Austria struggled to break down the defending champions, Messi once again proved decisive, continuing a trend that has seen him make the difference in seven of Argentina’s last nine World Cup matches.

Meanwhile, Egypt recorded its first-ever FIFA World Cup victory with a 3-1 comeback win over New Zealand.

New Zealand took an early lead through a header from Finn Surman and carried the advantage into the second half. However, Egypt responded emphatically after the break. Ziko and Salah both scored with headers before Trezeguet added a third goal to complete a historic victory.

Three of the match’s four goals came from headers, an unusual occurrence at this level of competition.

Earlier in the tournament, co-host Canada also celebrated its first World Cup victory, defeating Qatar 6-0.

As the tournament moves into the knockout phase, Messi’s record-breaking form continues to capture global attention. With Argentina advancing and their captain leading both the team and the scoring charts, expectations remain high for more memorable moments from one of football’s greatest players.

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