Messi Equals All-Time World Cup Scoring Record

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has equalled the all-time men’s FIFA World Cup scoring record, reaching 16 career goals in the tournament. The veteran forward achieved the milestone by scoring a hat-trick during Argentina’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup against Algeria, hosted in Kansas City. With this feat, Messi now shares the prestigious title of the tournament’s joint-highest goalscorer alongside Germany’s Miroslav Klose.

How the Milestone Was Achieved

Lionel Messi entered the 2026 tournament with 13 World Cup goals to his name. His three-goal performance in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria elevated his total tally to 16. By netting his 16th goal, the Argentine attacker surpassed the career total of former Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazário and drew level with Klose at the top of the historical leaderboard.

This performance also allowed Messi to extend his advantage over France’s Kylian Mbappé amongst active players. Mbappé remains positioned behind Messi on the all-time list with 14 World Cup goals.

Historical Top Scorers

The record for the most goals in the men’s tournament has evolved through different generations of football history. Miroslav Klose had claimed the outright record during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, overtaking Ronaldo Nazário’s previous benchmark of 15 goals. Prior to that, West Germany’s Gerd Müller and France’s Just Fontaine had held positions at the pinnacle of the rankings, with Fontaine still holding the unique distinction of scoring all 13 of his goals within a single tournament edition in 1958.

Match-by-Match Breakdown for the Joint Record Holders

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 16 Goals

Messi achieved his tally across five different tournament editions between 2006 and 2026:

• 2006 (Germany): 1 goal

  • Group Stage: 1 goal vs Serbia and Montenegro

• 2010 (South Africa): 0 goals

• 2014 (Brazil): 4 goals

  • Group Stage: 1 goal vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 goal vs Iran, 2 goals vs Nigeria

• 2018 (Russia): 1 goal

  • Group Stage: 1 goal vs Nigeria

• 2022 (Qatar): 7 goals

  • Group Stage: 1 goal vs Saudi Arabia, 1 goal vs Mexico

  • Round of 16: 1 goal vs Australia

  • Quarter-final: 1 goal vs Netherlands

  • Semi-final: 1 goal vs Croatia

  • Final: 2 goals vs France

• 2026 (USA/Canada/Mexico): 3 goals

  • Group Stage: 3 goals vs Algeria (Kansas City)

2. Miroslav Klose (Germany) — 16 Goals

Klose accumulated his record-setting total across four consecutive tournaments between 2002 and 2014:

• 2002 (South Korea/Japan): 5 goals

  • Group Stage: 3 goals vs Saudi Arabia, 1 goal vs Republic of Ireland, 1 goal vs Cameroon

• 2006 (Germany): 5 goals

  • Group Stage: 2 goals vs Costa Rica, 2 goals vs Ecuador

  • Quarter-final: 1 goal vs Argentina

• 2010 (South Africa): 4 goals

  • Group Stage: 1 goal vs Australia

  • Round of 16: 1 goal vs England

  • Quarter-final: 2 goals vs Argentina

• 2014 (Brazil): 2 goals

  • Group Stage: 1 goal vs Ghana

  • Semi-final: 1 goal vs Brazil

All-Time Men’s World Cup Top Scorers