Messi becomes FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading scorer
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has become the all-time leading goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup, setting a new tournament record, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The 38-year-old forward reached the milestone during Argentina’s second Group J match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Austria. Messi scored in the 38th minute to reach his 17th career World Cup goal.
The strike saw him move ahead of former German striker Miroslav Klose, who had previously held the record with 16 goals.
Messi had equalled Klose’s mark earlier in the tournament, scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria. Ahead of the record-breaking moment, Klose said he would be pleased to see Messi surpass his achievement, calling the Argentine captain a “genius.”
With 17 World Cup goals, Messi now stands alone at the top of the tournament’s all-time scoring chart. He is followed by Ronaldo with 15 goals, Gerd Müller with 14, and Kylian Mbappé, who also has 14.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and will run until July 19. Argentina entered the tournament as reigning world champions.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Spain delivered a commanding performance in Atlanta, sweeping aside Saudi Arabia 4-0 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H clash, with teenager Lamine Yamal stealing the show.
