The Argentina captain failed from the penalty spot in the 10th minute of his side’s Group J match at the 2026 World Cup in Arlington, Texas. After VAR ruled that Lautaro Martínez had been fouled inside the area, Messi stepped up but dragged his effort narrowly wide of the right post.
Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager (1) dives for the ball as Argentina’s Lionel Messi’s shot goes wide during the World Cup Group J football match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, June 22, 2026. Photo by AP |
Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager guessed correctly and dived in the right direction, although the shot ultimately missed the target.
According to Opta, Messi has now taken seven penalties in World Cup matches and missed three, more than any other player in the tournament’s history.
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Lionel Messi reacts after missing the penalty in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria in the 2026 World Cup Group J second fixture in Arlington, Texas, June 22, 2026. Photo by AP |
Before the match, Messi shared the record with former Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan, who missed penalties against the Czech Republic in 2006 and Uruguay in 2010.
Messi’s previous World Cup penalty misses came against Iceland in 2018 and Poland in 2022.
Lionel Messi misses a penalty in the 2026 World Cup Group J match between Argentina and Austria.
The miss did little to affect the outcome of the match, however.
After squandering several opportunities, Messi broke the deadlock in the 38th minute. Facundo Medina’s cross found Thiago Almada, who cleverly allowed the ball to run through to the Argentina captain. Messi curled a low finish into the left corner to give Argentina a 1-0 lead.
The goal was his 17th in World Cup competition, moving him past Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
Messi added another goal deep into stoppage time to seal a 2-0 victory and secure Argentina’s place in the knockout stage. The brace took his World Cup tally to 18 goals and moved him to the top of the scoring charts at the 2026 tournament with five goals.
The 38-year-old also remains one of the most prolific penalty scorers in World Cup history. He converted four spot kicks during Argentina’s victorious 2022 campaign, matching the single-tournament record jointly held by Eusébio in 1966 and Rob Rensenbrink in 1978. The overall World Cup record for penalty goals is held by Harry Kane with five.
Excluding penalties, Messi has scored 14 goals from open play and set pieces at the World Cup, further underlining his place among the competition’s most prolific scorers. Only Klose, with 16 non-penalty goals, has scored more.
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