Ranking all 18 of Lionel Messi’s record haul of World Cup goals
Sam Dean
Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history by converting his 17th and 18th goals of the tournament as Argentina beat Austria 2-0 in Dallas.
Messi’s first-half goal took him to 17 goals in 28 World Cup appearances; One of those goals was by legendary German striker Miroslav Klose. He then added a one-second pause at the end of a counterattack of his own.
Messi’s goals have been scored in five different tournaments, starting with his goals against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. Here we list 18 goals.
18. Saudi Arabia 2 Argentina 1, 2022
Group stage: Perhaps Messi’s least productive World Cup goal. His penalty gave Argentina the lead against Saudi Arabia in Qatar, but the South Americans suffered a surprise defeat. It was one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.
17. Argentina 2, Netherlands 2 (Argentina won on penalties), 2022
Quarterfinal: In the dramatic and fractious quarter-final against the Netherlands, Messi created Argentina’s first goal with an assist from Nauel Molina and then scored his team’s second from the penalty spot.
16. Argentina 3 Nigeria 2, 2014
Group stage: When the ball bounced outside Nigeria’s penalty area, Messi was the one who reacted quickest. Angel Di Maria’s low shot hit the post and Messi raced to grab the rebound and slotted the ball into the net from close range.
15. Argentina 3 Croatia 0, 2022
Semifinal: In another superb performance, Messi fired from the spot after Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic fouled Julián Alvarez.
14. Argentina 3 Algeria 0, 2026
Group stage: Messi’s second goal in Argentina’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup. It was a simple finish and Alexis Mac calmly converted with her right foot after Allister’s shot from distance was cleared.
13. Argentina 3 France 3 (Argentina won on penalties), 2022
Last: Messi’s long-running quest for World Cup glory came to a happy end in the final against France in 2022. His penalty in the 23rd minute gave Argentina the lead and was certainly the most high-pressure spot-kick he has ever scored.
12. Argentina 3 France 3 (Argentina won on penalties), 2022
Last: After Kylian Mbappe’s magnificent performance dragged the World Cup final into extra time, Messi scored once again in the 108th minute of the match. It was a huge goal in the biggest game of his life, but it was actually a bad rebound from France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris after he failed to hold on to Lautaro Martinez’s shot.
11. Argentina 2 Austria 0, 2026
Group stage: In the final moments of the group match against Austria, Messi attacked down the right wing to create a chance for Alvarez. Then the ball came towards the penalty area. When he asked a second time, he led her through the corpses and pierced the web.
10. Argentina 3 Algeria 0, 2026
Group stage: Messi completed his first World Cup hat-trick against Algeria with a powerful, low shot from the edge of the penalty area. This was another of his curling efforts that started wide of the post but headed towards target at the last moment.
9. Argentina 2 Austria 0, 2026
Group stage: 38-year-old Messi became the all-time top scorer in the World Cup by putting Argentina ahead against Austria. Messi was lurking outside the penalty area as Argentina attacked, but this gave him space to run onto the ball when cut out by Facundo Medina. He was helped by a cute puppet of Thiago Almada.
8. Argentina 3 Algeria 0, 2026
Group stage: Algeria were in trouble from the moment Messi took possession of the ball in the middle of the field. Moving towards space, Messi made his last shot into the top corner with the touch of goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of France legend Zinedine.
7. Argentina 6 Serbia and Montenegro 0, 2006
Group stage: In his World Cup debut at the age of 18, Messi ran behind the Serbian defense and sent the ball into the net with a low finish. It was great to see three iconic Argentinian players come together to set him up. Juan Roman Riquelme passed the ball to Carlos Tevez, who exchanged passes with Hernan Crespo before assisting Messi.
6. Argentina 2 Australia 1, 2022
Round 16: Messi’s first goal of the World Cup knockout stages was a typically composed strike, which he caressed low with his left foot into the far corner after characteristic close control. He helped Argentina to a narrow victory against Australia.
5. Argentina 3 Nigeria 2, 2014
Group stage: A magnificent free kick for the second goal of the match, typical of Messi. He curled the ball over the Nigerian wall from the right side of the field with such accuracy that the goalkeeper did not even dive.
4. Argentina 2 Mexico 0, 2022
Group stage: With the pressure building after a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in the opening game, Messi once again captured the magic moment Argentina needed. He gained possession of the ball on the edge of the penalty area and curled a low effort into the bottom corner of the goal.
3. Argentina 1 Iran 0, 2014
Group stage: Argentina tried hard to break the stubborn Iranian defence, but Messi made the difference at the end of the game. In extra time, he received the ball from the edge of the penalty area, transferred it to his left foot and fired a magnificent shot into the corner from distance.
2. Argentina 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1, 2014
Group stage: Messi advanced forward from the base of midfield, exchanged passes with Gonzalo Higuain and launched a distinctive curling shot off a post after diving beyond two Bosnian defenders on the edge of the penalty area. His dribbling was so effective that two Bosnian players crashed into each other instead of Messi.
1. Argentina 2 Nigeria 1, 2018
Group stage: A great pass, a great control and then an impressive finish. This was a striking goal on a collective and individual level. Éver Banega made a superb assist with an overhead pass, allowing Messi to collect the ball on his hip, control it with his left foot and then find the goal with his right foot.
Telegraph, London
