Lionel Messi’s Argentina record: World Cup, Copa America and international goals

Lionel Messi is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and the record-holder for international goals among South American men’s national teams. His tally includes 21 goals at the FIFA World Cup, 14 at the Copa America and 36 in World Cup qualifying, alongside 55 in international friendlies.

Messi made his Argentina debut against Hungary in 2005 and was sent off less than a minute after coming on. He scored his first goal for the national team the following year in a friendly against Croatia.

Since then, the Inter Miami forward has moved beyond Argentina greats including Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta to establish a clear lead at the top of the country’s scoring charts.

Messi’s Argentina goals by competition

| Competition | Matches | Goals | ||:|:| | FIFA World Cup | 34 | 21 | | Copa America | 39 | 14 | | World Cup qualifying | 72 | 36 | | Finalissima | 1 | 0 | | International friendlies | 62 | 55 | | Total | 208 | 126 |

World Cup goals

Messi’s World Cup record covers six editions. He scored once in three appearances at Germany 2006, failed to score in five games at South Africa 2010, and struck four times in seven matches at Brazil 2014.

He added one goal in four appearances at Russia 2018 and scored seven goals in seven games at Qatar 2022. His figures for FIFA World Cup 2026 are listed as eight appearances and eight goals, giving an overall total of 21 goals in 34 matches.

Copa America record

| Edition | Matches | Goals | ||:|:| | Copa America 2007 | 6 | 2 | | Copa America 2011 | 4 | 0 | | Copa America 2015 | 6 | 1 | | Copa America 2016 | 5 | 5 | | Copa America 2019 | 6 | 1 | | Copa America 2021 | 7 | 4 | | Copa America 2021 | 5 | 1 | | Total | 39 | 14 |

In World Cup qualifying, Messi’s goals are recorded as four for the 2010 tournament, 10 for 2014, seven for 2018, seven for 2022 and eight for 2026, with a listed total of 34 goals.

He played once in the 2022 Finalissima, a 3-0 Argentina victory over Italy, but did not score.

Hat-tricks and leading opponents

Messi has scored three or more goals for Argentina in the following matches: Switzerland 1-3 Argentina on 29 February 2012; Brazil 3-4 Argentina on 9 June 2012; Argentina 4-0 Guatemala on 14 June 2013; Argentina 5-0 Panama at Copa America 2016 on 10 June 2016; Ecuador 1-3 Argentina on 10 October 2017; Argentina 4-0 Haiti on 29 May 2018; Argentina 3-0 Bolivia on 9 September 2021; Argentina 5-0 Estonia on 5 June 2022, when he scored five; Argentina 7-0 Curacao on 29 March 2023; Argentina 6-0 Bolivia on 16 October 2024; and Argentina 3-0 Algeria at FIFA World Cup 2026 on 17 June 2026.

His most frequent victims are Bolivia, against whom he has scored 11 times, followed by Venezuela (7), Ecuador and Uruguay (6 each), and Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Estonia and Paraguay (5 each). He has scored four against Mexico, and three against Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, Nigeria and Switzerland.