Messi Sets New World Cup Records and Chases More

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday. This victory added to his already impressive record in the tournament.

The Argentina captain and Inter Miami star matched Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals. He also tied Klose's record of 17 World Cup wins.

Messi is now the only player in World Cup history to score against eleven different national teams. He broke the previous record of ten held by Brazil’s Ronaldo Nazário and Germany’s Jürgen Klinsmann.

At 38 years and 357 days, Messi became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history. He surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo, who did it at 33 years and 130 days against Spain in 2018.

Here is the complete list of World Cup records Messi holds and those he is still chasing, according to FIFA on Wednesday.

Goals and Scoring

1. 16 World Cup goals, Tied with Miroslav Klose as the all-time top scorer.
2. Argentina’s all-time leading World Cup scorer, ahead of Gabriel Batistuta (10), Diego Maradona (8), Guillermo Stabile (8), Mario Kempes (6) and Gonzalo Higuain (5).
3. Highest-scoring South American in World Cup history, surpassing Brazil’s Ronaldo (15 goals).
4. Six long-range goals, He holds the outright record, surpassing Brazil’s Rivellino (5). His long shots came against Bosnia and Herzegovina, IR Iran and Nigeria (2014), Mexico (2022), and two against Algeria (2026).
5. Scored in his teens, 20s and 30s, The only player to do this. Pelé fell four months short.
6. First and latest World Cup goals exactly 20 years apart, A record span. Cristiano Ronaldo’s longest gap is 16 years and 160 days.
7. Only player to score in every stage (group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final) of a single World Cup (accomplished in Qatar 2022).

Appearances

1. Played in six World Cup editions, The only player to achieve this. Ronaldo is set to match this on 17 June.
2. 27 World Cup appearances and counting, He broke Lothar Matthäus’s record in the 2022 final and is on track to be the first to reach 30.
3. Most minutes played, 2,404, surpassing Paolo Maldini’s previous record of 2,217.
4. 20 appearances as captain, He holds the outright record, ahead of Rafa Márquez (17) and Maradona (16).

Assists, Creativity & Overall Impact

1. Registered an assist in five different World Cups, A unique achievement. Pelé, Grzegorz Lato, Maradona and David Beckham did it in three each.
2. Joint record for most assists in the knockout phase (6, tied with Pelé).
3. Joint record for most goal contributions in a single World Cup (21, tied with Pelé).

Dribbling & Individual Awards

1. Most successful dribbles in World Cup history.
2. 46 dribbles at Brazil 2014 rank as the third-highest in a single tournament (behind Jairzinho’s 47 in 1970 and Maradona’s 53 in 1986).
3. 12 Player of the Match awards, A record total since the award’s start in 2002. His four in 2014 are a single-tournament record, shared with Wesley Sneijder.
4. Multiple adidas Golden Ball winner (2014 and 2022), The only player to achieve this.

Messi’s recent achievements at the Kansas City Stadium strengthen his status as one of the greatest players in World Cup history, even as he approaches the end of his international career.