Lionel Messi is establishing himself as the greatest player in FIFA World Cup history, but one of his ongoing records came to an end against Switzerland.
Argentina picked up a 3-1 A.E.T win to advance to the semi-finals, but the World Cup Golden Boot leader Messi didn’t find himself on the scoresheet.
While he did provide an assist to increase his all-time lead in that category, one of his most impressive World Cup streaks came to an end with him not scoring.
Lionel Messi’s streak of goals in consecutive World Cup matches ends at 10
In an incredible streak stretching back to Argentina’s Round of 16 clash against Australia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Messi had scored in every single World Cup match for his country since.
This streak of 10 consecutive games with a goal scored is the longest in history, with Messi making the record his own at match No. 7 by breaking a tie between France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho, with both scoring in six consecutive matches.
Messi scored 14 goals over this stretch, starting with Australia before scoring one each in the 2022 quarters and semis against the Netherlands and Croatia, before scoring a brace against France in the Final.
He started his 2026 campaign with a hat-trick against Algeria before scoring two more against Austria and one against Jordan in the group stages. He scored a goal apiece in the RO32 and RO16 against Cape Verde and Egypt to bring his tally to 10 consecutive matches, where it now ends.
Messi’s streak of goal contributions lives on with his assists to Alexis Mac Allister to open the scoring in the quarters, but he’ll face a tougher challenge in the semi-finals against England.
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