Messi becomes World Cup all-time scoring leader with two goals versus Austria
Lionel Messi has broken the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record, reaching 18 total goals. The 38-year-old Argentine captain scored twice in a 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday in Dallas, Texas. Messi first equaled the previous record of 16 goals held by Germany's Miroslav Klose with a hat-trick against Algeria last week. He then surpassed that mark with his performance against Austria, initially scoring in the 38th minute after missing a penalty earlier in the match, then adding a second goal in stoppage time. With these strikes, Messi also became the all-time leading goalscorer across both men's and women's World Cup history, surpassing Brazil's Marta who had 17 women's World Cup goals. The victory secured Argentina's place in the knockout round as defending champions. At nearly 39 years old, Messi has now played in six different World Cup tournaments and has scored in six consecutive World Cup matches.
Key facts
- Lionel Messi scored 18 World Cup goals across six tournaments, breaking Miroslav Klose's previous record of 16
- Messi scored twice against Austria on June 22, 2026, at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas
- Messi had scored a hat-trick against Algeria on June 16, 2026, equaling Klose's record before breaking it
- Messi also surpassed Marta's women's World Cup record of 17 goals to become the all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history across both men's and women's competitions
- At age 38, Messi became the oldest male player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup
- Messi has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches, joining Just Fontaine and Jairzinho as only the third player to achieve this
- Argentina defeated Austria 2-0 and qualified for the knockout round with one group match remaining
Limits of this briefing
This is a purely factual sports story with minimal political or ideological dimensions. No left-leaning or right-leaning media outlets were found to have provided distinct political framings of this record-breaking achievement, as sports coverage tends to be largely nonpartisan.
Sources
- ESPN: Lionel Messi breaks record for most World Cup goals with Austria double Centre
- Sky Sports: Lionel Messi: Argentina star breaks World Cup scoring record with goal against Austria Centre
- Al Jazeera: Messi breaks World Cup's all-time scoring record with 18 goals Centre
- Fox Sports: Lionel Messi Breaks All-Time FIFA World Cup Scoring Record Against Austria Centre
- NBC News: Lionel Messi breaks record for career goals scored at the World Cup Centre