Lionel Messi Breaks Record Of Winning Most Matches In FIFA World Cup

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Last Updated:June 23, 2026, 03:02 IST

Messi, who is already the most-capped player in FIFA World Cup history with 28 appearances, has now also become the player with the most wins in the competition (18).

38-year-old Lionel Messi scored his record-breaking 17th FIFA World Cup goal on Monday (June 22) and added another before the final whistle to help Argentina register their second straight win of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

In the Group J match played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in front of 70,649 fans, Messi’s brace guided Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria.

The win over Austria helped Argentina book their place in the Round of 32 of the ongoing 48-team tournament in North America. It also enabled Messi to break the record for the most FIFA World Cup matches won by a player.

All the records broken by Lionel Messi today:Most FIFA World Cup finals goals by a football (soccer) player – 18

Most FIFA World Cup matches played in by an individual – 28

Most matches won by a player at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup – 18

Most minutes played in the…

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) June 22, 2026

Messi, who is already the most-capped player in FIFA World Cup history with 28 appearances, has now also become the player with the most wins in the competition, with 18 victories to his name.

Messi is followed on the list by former Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who played 24 FIFA World Cup matches across four editions and won 17 of them.

Players to win most matches in FIFA World Cup

POSITION	PLAYER	COUNTRY	MATCHES	WINS	TOURNAMENTS
1.	Lionel Messi	Argentina	28	18	2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
2.	Miroslav Klose	Germany	24	17	2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
3.	Cafu	Brazil	20	16	1994, 1998, 2002, 2006
=4.	Wolfgang Overath	West Germany	19	15	1966, 1970, 1974
=4.	Ronaldo	Brazil	19	15	1998, 2002, 2006
=4.	Philipp Lahm	Germany	20	15	2006, 2010, 2014
=4.	Bastian Schweinsteiger	Germany	20	15	2006, 2010, 2014
=4.	Lothar Matthaus	West Germany/Germany	25	15	1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998
=5.	Lucio	Brazil	17	14	2002, 2006, 2010
=5.	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	18	14	1966, 1970, 1974
=5.	Olivier Giroud	France	18	14	2014, 2018, 2022
=5.	Antoine Griezmann	France	19	14	2014, 2018, 2022
=5.	Per Mertesacker	Germany	19	14	2006, 2010, 2014
=5.	Hugo Lloris	France	20	14	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
=5.	Paolo Maldini	Italy	23	14	1990, 1994, 1998, 2002

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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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