Argentinian Lionel Messi has made a great start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with five goals from the first two group matches.
Messi scored a hat-trick against Algeria in the opener before bagging a brace against Austria on Monday.
With Argentina having secured a spot in the Round of 32, Messi is now guaranteed at least two more games at this World Cup.
Who has scored the most goals in one edition of the FIFA World Cup?
Frenchman Just Fontaine holds this particular record, thanks to his thirteen goals during the 1958 World Cup.
File – Just Fontaine (center) scores against Brazil in the semi-final of the 1958 World Cup. | Photo credit: DPA
File – Just Fontaine (center) scores against Brazil in the semi-final of the 1958 World Cup. | Photo credit: DPA
The French striker played six games in the tournament and scored in all of them. He scored two hat-tricks: a treble against Paraguay in the group stage and a quadruple against Germany in the third-place play-offs.
Fontaine’s 13-goal tournament effort overshadowed Sandor Kocsis’ 1954 effort. The Hungarian found the net 11 times during his side’s run to the final.
Only one other player has scored ten or more goals in a single World Cup: West German Gerd Müller, who scored ten in 1970.
Most goals in one World Cup
Just Fontaine (France) – 13 goals (1958)
Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) – 11 goals (1954)
Gerd Müller (West Germany) – 10 goals (1970)
Ademir (Brazil) – 9 goals (1950)
Eusébio (Portugal) – 9 goals (1966)
Published on June 23, 2026
