Lionel Messi once again led the Argentina national team during a stellar 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying campaign, guiding La Albiceleste to the top of the table with 38 points from 18 games. With the qualifiers concluding on Tuesday, Messi made history by achieving a feat with Argentina for the first time in 24 years.
Argentina became the first South American nation to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup back in March during the international break, following wins over Uruguay and Brazil. Despite missing a few matches, Messi’s consistent scoring remained a key storyline, culminating in him achieving a milestone for the first time in his international career.
For the first time, Lionel Messi finished as the top goalscorer of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers for Argentina. The Inter Miami star appeared in 12 matches on the road to the 2026 tournament, finishing with 8 goals and surpassing Colombia’s Luis Díaz and Bolivia’s Miguel Terceros, who both scored 7.
Messi found the net in four different matches: one goal against Ecuador in Matchday 1, a brace against Peru in Matchday 4, a hat-trick against Bolivia in Matchday 10, and another brace in his farewell game against Venezuela in Matchday 17.
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates after scoring the team’s fifth goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 South American Qualifier match between Argentina and Bolivia.
Since his debut in 2005, Messi has competed in six editions of the CONMEBOL qualifiers, bringing his career total to 36 goals in the competition. The last Argentine to finish as top scorer was Hernán Crespo 24 years ago during the road to the 2002 World Cup, a record Messi has now broken.
see also
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying top scorers: South America’s goal leaders
Messi adds another competition to his top scorer accolades
Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi has built one of the most prolific careers in soccer history, regularly finishing as top scorer in competitions he participates in. With his 8 goals in the 2026 CONMEBOL qualifiers, Messi adds yet another competition to his extensive list of scoring titles.
Across his career, Messi has claimed six Golden Boots and finished as the top scorer 30 times in major competitions:
- La Liga (x8).
- UEFA Champions League (x6).
- Spanish Super Cup (x5).
- Copa del Rey (x4).
- UEFA Super Cup (x2).
- U-20 World Cup (x1).
- FIFA Club World Cup (x1).
- Copa America (x1).
- Leagues Cup (x1).
- CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers (x1).
