Lionel Messi has officially matched the record as the all-time top scorer in World Cup history after netting a spectacular hat-trick in Argentina’s victory against Algeria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“The Flea” opened the scoring for La Albiceleste in the 17th minute, before sealing the win for Lionel Scaloni’s side with two more goals in the 60th and 76th minutes.
With these three goals, Messi reached a total of 16 World Cup goals scored across 6 different tournaments. This milestone equals the legendary German striker Miroslav Klose’s record, allowing Messi to share the title of the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Here is the breakdown of Messi’s 16 World Cup goals:
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2006 World Cup: 1 goal
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2014 World Cup: 4 goals
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2018 World Cup: 1 goal
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2022 World Cup: 7 goals
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2026 World Cup: 3 goals
Breaking Pelé’s Record and Reaching 200 Caps
In addition to his goalscoring exploits, Messi shattered Pelé’s historic record for the most goal contributions in World Cup history, reaching 24 goal contributions (16 goals and 8 assists).
This historic match also marked Messi’s 200th international appearance for Argentina, bringing his total international goal tally to 120 goals. However, Cristiano Ronaldo still holds the record for the all-time leading international goalscorer with 143 goals.
