Lionel Messi continues to stretch the limits of longevity and consistency at the highest level. The Argentine has now achieved a World Cup scoring streak that had not been matched by any player in the 21st century.
Messi’s World Cup consistency reaches historic level
Lionel Messi has become the first player in the 21st century to score in six consecutive World Cup appearances. Across the entire history of the tournament, only three players have ever managed that feat.
The run began during the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Messi scored against Australia in the round of 16, converted from the penalty spot against the Netherlands in the quarter-final, then struck again from eleven metres in the semi-final against Croatia.
He also found the net in the final against France, scoring both in regular time and extra time before Argentina eventually won the title after a penalty shootout.
The only match that stopped this streak from being even longer was Argentina’s group-stage game against Poland. Messi missed a penalty saved by Wojciech Szczęsny. Had he scored, his current run would have reached nine consecutive World Cup games with a goal.
- Check World Cup results
Fontaine and Jairzinho remain the only comparisons
Messi extended the streak at the 2026 World Cup. He scored a hat-trick against Algeria, which allowed him to equal Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup goals record. He then moved past that mark by scoring twice against Austria.
That goal against Austria made him only the third player ever to score in six straight World Cup matches. The previous two were Just Fontaine in 1958 and Jairzinho in 1970.
Fontaine achieved his run during one extraordinary tournament for France, scoring in every match and finishing with 13 goals. Jairzinho repeated the feat twelve years later for Brazil, finding the net in every game of their victorious 1970 campaign.
Messi’s case is different because his streak stretches across two World Cups, separated by four years. At 38, he is still influencing games not only through individual brilliance, but through a level of regularity rarely seen in football history.