Messi opened the Mundial de 2026 with a hat-trick against Argelia, and at 39 years old he is now one goal from becoming the World Cup's all-time leading scorer. The Argentina captain finished with 16 World Cup goals, tying Miroslav Klose and turning one night in Group J into the most immediate scoring race of the tournament.
That is why readers are searching for the 2026 World Cup top scorers now: Messi did not just help Argentina win its first match in Grupo J and collect 3 points, he also put the record within reach before the tournament had settled. Argentina now turns to Austria at the AT&T Stadium in EE. UU., and that next match is the one that could decide whether the chase for the record ends quickly or stretches on.
Austria is already level on 3 points after beating Jordania 3-1, and that result matters because Group J is opening as a tight race rather than a one-team march. Ralf Rangnick has put together a cohesive side with several attacking options, which means Argentina cannot treat the group as a simple path from one win to the next. Argelia and Jordania both lost their openers, so the first round of the group has already separated the teams into those under pressure and those setting the pace.
The wider picture across the tournament makes the scoring race even sharper. France beat Senegal 3-1 in its first match in Group I, but that was not enough to secure first place because Noruega won by a larger margin against Irak. Didier Deschamps said France has the potential to win, while also warning that there are six or seven other teams in the same conversation and that he does not want to suggest France is stronger than the rest. The message is simple: early wins matter, but goal difference is already shaping who sits on top.
For Messi, the comparison being made by observers is almost impossible to miss. He was pictured in the same frame of reference as Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, yet the football reality is colder and more exact: 16 goals, Klose matched, one more needed. Argentina's next game against Austria gives him the chance to move alone to the top of the World Cup scoring list, but nothing in the opening matches guarantees that the record will fall there. The only certainty is that the tournament's biggest scoring question has arrived immediately, and it now follows Messi into the next match.
