DALLAS, USA: The 2026 FIFA World Cup is well and truly underway, with several teams having already booked their berths in the round of 32 stage. Argentina are one of them, having achieved this following their 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday, June 22. La Albiceleste had won their first game against Algeria by a 3-0 scoreline.
Lionel Messi has scored eight goals for Argentina at this FIFA World Cup. Messi entered the Austria game level with Miroslav Klose as the joint all-time leading goalscorer of the FIFA World Cup (16 goals each) and crossed him comfortably.
His first goal, which came in the 38th minute, took him to the 17-goal mark, while his second, which arrived in stoppage time in the second half, took him to 18. But Messi is currently NOT the all-time leading goalscorer, despite having 21 strikes to his name, after scoring against Egypt in the round of 16. At 39 years of age, this is just one of the many records the Argentine holds, but one that he will surely be most proud of.
The accolade now belongs to Kylian Mbappe, who has 22 goals to his name! Mbappe scored 10 goals in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while Messi ended with eight. The Frenchman edged ahead of Messi after scoring a brace in his side’s 4-6 loss in a high-scoring Bronze final to England.
Who are the other leading goalscorers of the FIFA World Cup?
Kylian Mbappe, of France, started this FIFA World Cup with 12 goals to his name. With braces against Senegal, Iraq and Sweden, and goals against Paraguay, Belgium and England, he has now moved to 22, and in turn, gone past Messi. The latter, who played for Germany, retired in 2016 and will not be able to secure his record.
Mbappe appears the favourite to retain this record since he is only 27 years old and in prime shape and form. The Real Madrid striker is also expected to play in at least two FIFA World Cup finals after this, and will surely eclipse the tally of 30 goals. Despite several predictions, the Frenchman failed to do so in this edition of the tournament itself!
Except Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who are in the top five?
The Brazilian Ronaldo comes fourth on this list with 15 goals, while West Germany’s Gerd Müller and England’s Harry Kane are fifth with 14. The legendary Pele comes seventh (12). Müller’s numbers make for interesting reading as he took part in only two FIFA World Cup finals, 1970 and 1974, and scored his goals in just 13 matches.
Lionel Messi, in comparison, has played 34 World Cup matches, and Mbappe has played 22. Amongst the top five, Muller’s goals per match statistic is the most (1.08) while Messi’s is the least (0.62). No contemporary footballer features in the top 10 list except Messi, Mbappe, Kane (14 goals) and Cristiano Ronaldo (11 goals).
List of all-time leading goal scorers of the FIFA World Cup
- Kylian Mbappe (20)
- Lionel Messi (21)
- Miroslav Klose (16)
- Ronaldo (15)
- Harry Kane and Gerd Muller (14)
ALSO READ – The hand of doom: Decoding Lionel Messi and Argentina’s tactics in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final
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