Messi breaks World Cup scoring record with goal vs Austria

Argentina star Lionel Messi has broken Miroslav Klose's all-time scoring record at a World Cup after his two goals against Austria.

The forward - competing at his record-equalling sixth World Cup - had matched the 16-goal record set by the Germany international with his hat-trick in the opening game against Algeria.

He then followed this up with two goals against Austria - breaking the record and taking him two clear at the top of the standings.

Messi's first goal was a wonderful left-footed finish to put his team ahead in Arlington in the 39th minute.

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His second goal came in second-half injury time when Argentina caught Austria on the counter, with the 38-year-old sending through Julian Alvarez, who saw his shot blocked, before Messi put the rebound in.

The brace takes Messi, the Argentine captain, to five goals in the 2026 World Cup.

There were great celebrations at full-time, but the Inter Miami's forward had a terrible start to the game, missing a penalty inside 10 minutes, skewing his attempt wide of the right-hand post. He then missed a few other chances before finally finding the net.

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Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, have secured their place in the round of 32 with victory over Austria, with Messi having at least one more guaranteed game to extend his lead. They face Jordan next on Sunday June 28 in the final Group J game.

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And Klose - who scored his last World Cup goal in 2014 against Brazil in that famous 7-1 semi-final win - could find himself bumped further down the table by another player at the 2026 World Cup. Kylian Mbappe has 14 World Cup goals, two behind Klose's former record.

Messi's record-breaking World Cup so far in numbers...

Scoring against Austria means Messi becomes just the third player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive games after France's Just Fontaine in 1958 and Brazil's Jairzinho in 1970.

Having netted his fourth goal at the 2026 World Cup, Messi (also 4 in 2014 and 7 in 2022) became just the second player to score 4+ goals in three different editions of the tournament, after Klose (5 in 2002, 5 in 2006 and 4 in 2010).

At the age of 38 years and 357 days, Messi became the oldest hat-trick scorer in World Cup history against Algeria. The previous oldest was Cristiano Ronaldo who was 33 years and 130 days when he scored a treble against Spain in 2018.

His hat-trick against Algeria also saw Messi become the highest-scoring South American at tournament, surpassing Brazil legend Ronaldo (15).

In pictures: Messi breaks World Cup scoring record