Just when it looks like there are no more records for Lionel Messi to break, Argentina’s No. 10 pulls a rabbit out of his hat and smashes yet another milestone. This time, he broke a record that had stood since 1930 with his agonizing goal against Egypt in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Messi’s tally against Egypt not only meant the Argentine ace has scored in five straight games at the 2026 World Cup—nine consecutive dating back to the 2022 World Cup. That’s a FIFA World Cup record Messi had already tied against Austria. He now owns it outright and is only raising the bar with his penchant for scoring in each and every game.
Moreover, as Messi scored his eighth goal at the 2026 World Cup for Argentina he drew level with another Argentine legend. Messi’s eight goals so far at the 2026 World Cup tie him with Guillermo Stabile for the most goals scored by an Argentine at a single World Cup.
Stabile accomplished the feat at the 1930 World Cup. Although there were fewer total games played at that tournament, Messi and Stabile both reached the mark in five games.
Lionel Messi against Egypt.
Stabile’s and Messi’s goals comparison
| Messi’s goals at 2026 World Cup | Stabile’s goals at 1930 World Cup |
| 1-0 vs Algeria | 1-0 vs Mexico |
| 2-0 vs Algeria | 3-0 vs Mexico |
| 3-0 vs Algeria | 6-3 vs Mexico |
| 1-0 vs Austria | 1-0 vs Chile |
| 2-0 vs Austria | 2-0 vs Chile |
| 3-1 vs Jordan | 3-0 vs USA (semifinals) |
| 1-0 vs Cape Verde (Round of 32) | 6-0 vs USA (semifinals) |
| 2-2 vs Egypt | 2-1 vs Uruguay (final) |
How many goals has Messi scored in World Cups?
With his tally against Egypt, Messi crossed off yet another team in the list of countries he scored against. No player has scored against more national teams than Messi has at FIFA World Cups, and he keeps adding names to the list. The Pharaohs were the latest addition.
No other player has scored more goals than Messi in soccer’s biggest tournament, either. He also holds the record for the most goals in FIFA World Cup history. After his goal against Egypt, he has raised his total to 21.
Messi has aged like fine wine in World Cups
Surprisingly, Messi’s best goalscoring production in FIFA World Cups has come in the late stages of his career. No one could dare call this the twilight of his career, as he is playing some of the best soccer of his life.
At the 2022 World Cup, Messi had recorded his best goal total with seven tallies. He’s already done one better, as he’s up to eight goals at the 2026 World Cup. For comparison, Messi had scored only six goals across his first four World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018).
