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Last Updated:June 04, 2026, 08:22 IST
Lionel Messi will captain defending champions Argentina in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup, which is set to start on June 11.
5 records Lionel Messi can break in FIFA World Cup 2026. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Lionel Messi will lead Argentina’s title defence in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup, which is set to start on June 11. A total of 48 teams will feature in this year’s FIFA World Cup, and the matches are set to be played across 16 venues in three countries – the USA, Canada and Mexico. Messi, who captained Argentina to the title win in the 2022 edition, would like to come up with magical performances in this year’s edition as well and help his team win the football’s biggest prize.
Messi, despite turning 39 on June 24, will be a key player for the three-time champions in FIFA World Cup 2026, and in this year’s tournament, he will have a chance to break multiple records.
Messi, who is the most-capped player in FIFA World Cup history, will enter his name in the history books by becoming the first player from Argentina to feature in six FIFA World Cups. The former Barcelona and PSG star made his FIFA World Cup debut in 2006 and then represented Argentina in the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions as well. No player in the world has featured in six FIFA World Cups.
Apart from Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will also have a chance to become the first three footballers to play in six FIFA World Cups.
Most World Cup tournament appearances
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | TOURNAMENTS (IN SQUAD) | TOURNAMENTS (PLAYED) | TOURNAMENTS |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 6* | 5 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 6* | 5 | 2006, 2010,2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Guillermo Ochoa | Mexico | 6* | 3 | 2006, 2010,2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Antonio Carbajal | Mexico | 5 | 5 | 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966 |
| Andrés Guardado | Mexico | 5 | 5 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| Rafael Márquez | Mexico | 5 | 5 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| Lothar Matthäus | West Germany, Germany | 5 | 5 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | 5 | 4 | 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| Luka Modric | Croatia | 5* | 4 | 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Fernando Muslera | Uruguay | 5* | 3 | 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Yūto Nagatomo | Japan | 5* | 4 | 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Manuel Neuer | Germany | 5* | 4 | 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
In football’s biggest tournament, Messi has scored 13 goals in 26 matches played so far. He is Argentina’s highest goal-scorer in the tournament’s history and is overall the joint-fourth-highest goal-scorer. If Messi manages to score at least four goals in this year’s tournament, then he will take his tally of goals to 17 and move to the No. 1 position.
As of now, the record for scoring the most goals in FIFA World Cup history is held by former Germany striker Miroslav Klose. Miroslav Klose played 24 matches in four FIFA World Cups for Germany and scored 16 goals.
Most goals in FIFA World Cup
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | MATCHES | GOALS | TOURNAMENTS |
| Miroslav Klose | Germany | 24 | 16 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| Ronaldo | Brazil | 19 | 15 | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| Gerd Müller | West Germany | 13 | 14 | 1970, 1974 |
| Just Fontaine | France | 6 | 13 | 1958 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 26 | 13 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| Pele | Brazil | 14 | 12 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| Kylian Mbappe | France | 14 | 12 | 2018, 2022 |
| Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 5 | 11 | 1954 |
| Jürgen Klinsmann | West Germany, Germany | 17 | 11 | 1990, 1994, 1998 |
In the list of players with the most goals in FIFA World Cup history, Klose is followed by Brazilian Ronaldo and Gerd Müller of West Germany. Ronaldo finished his career with 15 goals in 19 FIFA World Cup matches for Brazil, and Müller scored 14 goals in 13 matches for West Germany (in 1970 and 1974).
Messi has scored goals in four FIFA World Cup tournaments for Argentina. If he manages to score at least one goal in this year’s tournament, then he will become the first South American and only the second player in the world after Cristiano Ronaldo to score in five different FIFA World Cups.
Players who scored at most World Cups
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | TOURNAMENTS WITHIN GOALS | GOALS SCORED | TOURNAMENTS |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 5 | 8 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| Uwe Seeler | West Germany | 4 | 9 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| Pele | Brazil | 4 | 12 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| Miroslav Klose | Germany | 4 | 16 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 4 | 13 | 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
Messi has provided 8 assists in 26 FIFA World Cup matches for Argentina across five tournaments (2006–2022). He is tied with Diego Maradona for the most career assists for Argentina in World Cup history. If he sets up at least one goal for his Argentina teammates in this year’s World Cup, he will take the No. 1 position in the list of players with the most assists for the South American nation in the tournament’s history.
The overall record for providing the most assists is held by Fritz Walter. Fritz Walter set up nine goals for his West Germany teammates in the 1954 and 1958 editions of the FIFA World Cup. Messi is two assists away from breaking that record.
Most assists in FIFA World Cup
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | ASSISTS |
| Fritz Walter | West Germany | 9 |
| Diego Maradona | Argentina | 8 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 |
| Pierre Littbarski | Germany | 7 |
| Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 7 |
Messi will captain Argentina in FIFA World Cup 2026, and if he leads his national team to the title, then he will become the first player to win two FIFA World Cup winners’ medals as captain.
Captains to win FIFA World Cup
| EDITION | WINNER | CAPTAIN | AGE |
| 1930 | Uruguay | José Nasazzi | 29 years, 128 days |
| 1934 | Italy | Gianpiero Combi | 31 years, 202 days |
| 1938 | Italy | Giuseppe Meazza | 27 years, 300 days |
| 1950 | Uruguay | Obdulio Varela | 32 years, 299 days |
| 1954 | West Germany | Fritz Walter | 33 years, 246 days |
| 1958 | Brazil | Hilderaldo Bellini | 28 years, 22 days |
| 1962 | Brazil | Mauro | 31 years, 291 days |
| 1966 | England | Bobby Moore | 25 years, 109 days |
| 1970 | Brazil | Carlos Alberto | 25 years, 339 days |
| 1974 | West Germany | Franz Beckenbauer | 28 years, 299 days |
| 1978 | Argentina | Daniel Passarella | 25 years, 30 days |
| 1982 | Italy | Dino Zoff | 40 years, 133 days |
| 1986 | Argentina | Diego Maradona | 25 years, 252 days |
| 1990 | West Germany | Lothar Matthäus | 29 years, 109 days |
| 1994 | Brazil | Dunga | 30 years, 259 days |
| 1998 | France | Didier Deschamps | 29 years, 270 days |
| 2002 | Brazil | Cafu | 32 years, 23 days |
| 2006 | Italy | Fabio Cannavaro | 32 years, 299 days |
| 2010 | Spain | Iker Casillas | 29 years, 52 days |
| 2014 | Germany | Philipp Lahm | 30 years, 244 days |
| 2018 | France | Hugo Lloris | 31 years, 201 days |
| 2022 | Argentina | Lionel Messi | 35 years, 177 days |
So far, no captain has ever managed to lead his team to three FIFA World Cup finals, and Messi will have a chance to break that record in this year’s tournament. Under his leadership, Argentina have already played in the FIFA World Cup finals in 2014 and 2022.
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About the Author
Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor
Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist with CNN-News18 since July 1, 2024, and covers cricket with a sharp eye for records, trends, and match analysis. Based in Noida, he has reported extensively on the...Read More
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