How many World Cup goals has Messi scored? Breaking down career goals

Lionel Messi is a few hours away from what is expected to be his final World Cup match as Argentina plays Spain in the 2026 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, July 19, with a 3 p.m. ET kickoff. The article notes that Messi enters the game without a goal in Argentina’s last two matches, leaving him off the top of the all-time World Cup scorers list. On Saturday, Kylian Mbappé took over that record by scoring twice for France in the third-place match versus England, bringing Mbappé’s total to 22 career World Cup goals. At the tournament level, Messi has 21 World Cup goals across six editions, making him second all-time behind Mbappé. It also states that Messi has scored eight goals in seven matches at the 2026 World Cup, including a hat trick vs Jordan and a brace vs Austria.