There is no stopping Lionel Messi at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Argentina icon added another goal to his tally in the competition, registering his sixth strike of the tournament with a spectacular free-kick. Messi came off the bench in the second half as Argentina beat Jordan 3-1 in their final Group J match of the World Cup. Already leading 2-1 through goals from Giovani Lo Celso and Lautaro Martinez, Argentina introduced Messi with about half an hour remaining in the game. In the 80th minute, Messi found the opportunity to extend his historic World Cup goalscoring record to 19. It was also the first time in history that a player had scored in 7 consecutive World Cup games.
The Argentine maestro struck a low, grounded free-kick that completely deceived Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila, leaving him rooted to the spot as the ball nestled into the back of the net.
Messi free kick from that angle is nuts. Alien. pic.twitter.com/8g333O2h8M
— Geronimo Morgans (@GeronimoMorgans) June 28, 2026
Messi, who leads the tournament with six goals, was among nine Argentinian starters rested from the previous match, given that Group J had already been clinched. He entered the fray in the 60th minute, just three days after his 39th birthday, at the exact same stadium where he had broken the tournament’s all-time scoring record the previous Monday.
The captain had previously scored all five of Argentina’s goals in their victories over Algeria and Austria, including his first-ever World Cup hat-trick, followed by a brace in Monday’s record-setting match. He has now scored in seven consecutive World Cup matches, breaking a tie with France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil great Jairzinho for the longest scoring streak in the tournament’s history.
Argentina, who are unbeaten in their last nine World Cup games with seven wins and two draws, will face Cape Verde on Friday in the round of 32. Cape Verde is the smallest country ever to earn a spot in the knockout stages of the competition. Fittingly, the match will be played in Miami, the home of Messi’s Major League Soccer team.
This marks the fifth time Argentina have won all of their group-stage matches, and the first time they have done so since back-to-back tournaments in 2010 and 2014. They now boast 14 wins, two losses, and three draws in their last 19 group-stage games.
France and Mexico were the only other squads in this expanded 48-team World Cup to secure the maximum nine points in the group stage.
With inputs from AP
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