18 goals and a new record: Messi's staggering World Cup 2026 numbers
Lionel Messi has led Argentina to the 2026 World Cup final on the back of an extraordinary individual tournament, capped by breaking the all-time World Cup scoring record and setting a new career assists mark.
Lionel Messi enters the 2026 World Cup final with Argentina as the tournament's all-time leading scorer, after taking his tally to 18 goals, surpassing the record previously held by Germany's Miroslav Klose (16 goals).
The Argentine forward achieved the feat in two stages during the group phase: he first matched Klose's mark with a hat-trick in the opening match against Algeria, then broke it with a brace against Austria. With 8 goals in this edition alone, Messi shares the top of the tournament's scoring charts with France's Kylian Mbappé, having also put together a record scoring streak across 9 consecutive matches, which came to an end in the quarter-final against Switzerland.
Messi's brilliance wasn't limited to scoring: he also raised his career tally to 12 World Cup assists, a new record that puts him ahead of legend Diego Maradona, after setting up both of Argentina's goals in the semi-final win over England. At 39 and playing in his sixth World Cup, Messi is now just one match away from a second consecutive title, against Spain in the final.
