Lionel Messi becomes World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer

Argentina captain Lionel Messi etched his name deeper into football history on Monday, becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history after scoring his 18th goal in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Australia in the group-stage clash at the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

The 38-year-old goal poacher surpassed former Germany striker Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16 goals when he opened the scoring for the defending champions, despite having missed a penalty earlier in the match.

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Messi had equalled Klose’s record in Argentina’s opening game of the tournament, scoring a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over Algeria. His strike against Austria moved him clear at the top of the World Cup scoring charts with 17 goals across six World Cup finals.

The Argentine superstar reached the milestone in his 28th World Cup appearance, compared to the 24 matches Klose needed to score his 16 goals.

Messi’s latest achievement adds to an already glittering international career that includes winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and leading Argentina’s title defence at the 2026 tournament in North America.

While Messi now stands alone at the summit, the race is far from over. France forward Kylian Mbappé remains his closest active challenger with 14 World Cup goals from just 15 appearances.

The Real Madrid star, who won the World Cup with France in 2018, scored four goals in Russia before netting eight times at Qatar 2022, including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina.

Only Brazil legend Ronaldo, with 15 World Cup goals, now separates Mbappe from Messi’s record.
For now, however, the spotlight belongs to Messi, whose remarkable consistency and longevity have helped him achieve yet another historic milestone on football’s biggest stage.