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JUMP TO:
- Lionel Messi World Cup final appearances
- Has Lionel Messi ever won a World Cup?
- When was Lionel Messi's first World Cup?
- Lionel Messi World Cup history
- How many World Cups has Argentina won?
- Who has more World Cup wins, Messi or Ronaldo?
- How many international trophies has Lionel Messi won?
- Will Lionel Messi retire after 2026 World Cup?
Lionel Messi is widely considered the greatest soccer player in the history of the sport.
In order to be anointed as the best ever, winning major titles is often a big part of establishing such a claim.
The Argentine great is one of the most decorated players ever at the club level, winning countless titles with Barcelona, PSG and Inter Miami. Yet for much of Messi's career, major international trophies eluded him, as he fell short in the few opportunities afforded to players to win titles at the international level.
Yet as his career begins to wind down, Messi has ultimately been able to get himself over the hump and register himself as one of the greatest footballers to ever live on just about every level.
The Sporting News details Lionel Messi's career accomplishments on the international level as the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, which is widely believed to be his last.
MORE: Everything we know about Lionel Messi's contract with Inter Miami
Lionel Messi World Cup final appearances
Lionel Messi has reached the FIFA World Cup final on two occasions.
The first came in 2014 when Argentina made the World Cup final on enemy territory in Brazil. With the hosts being embarrassed 7-1 by Germany in the semifinals, the Selecao saw their bitter rivals Argentina reach the final instead, topping the Netherlands on penalties after a 0-0 semifinal draw.
Argentina would return to the World Cup final with Messi eight years later when they reached the title match in 2022 in Qatar. The game against France pitted the tournament's two top goal scorers against one another, as Messi would meet up against eventual Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe.
MORE: How does World Cup qualifying work?
Has Lionel Messi ever won a World Cup?
Yes, Lionel Messi has won a FIFA World Cup title.
His lone global championship came in 2022, when Argentina beat France on penalties by a 4-2 score after a 3-3 draw through regulation and extra-time.
Messi scored twice while Mbappe logged a hat-trick, with the game going to extra-time. Both superstars found the net in the additional 30 minutes, with Argentina taking the lead in the 108th minute before France drew level in the 118th. Emiliano Martinez's famous save on Randal Kolo Muani would send the game to penalties.
In the shootout, Kingsely Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni both saw their penalty attempts fail to convert, while Argentina's four takers led by Messi all came through, seeing Argentina come through with the silverware.
MORE: Who won the first ever World Cup?
How many World Cups has Lionel Messi won?
Messi has only won one FIFA World Cup title in his career, lifting the trophy in 2022 with Argentina.
Very few players accomplish this feat, and even fewer manage to win multiples. Messi is one of 471 players all-time who have been a part of at least one World Cup winning squad.
Only one player has ever won three World Cup titles in their career, as Pele won in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
20 players in history have won two World Cup titles, with 15 of them being from Brazil, the most successful nation in World Cup history. Four others are Italian, on both the 1934 and 1938 teams, and there is just one Argentine, with Daniel Passarella winning in 1978 an 1986.
However, of those 20 players, almost half of them (eight), including Passarella, were an unused substitute for their squad through the entirety of at least one of their tournament appearances. Thus, only 13 players have ever taken the field in multiple World Cup tournaments that concluded in a title.
MORE: Why World Cup winners get a star on their logo
Has Lionel Messi lost a World Cup final?
Yes, Lionel Messi has lost a FIFA World Cup final, as Argentina fell to Germany in the 2014 title match.
At the famous Maracana in Brazil, Argentina battled the Germans hard, but would fall in extra-time by a 1-0 score on Mario Gotze's famous 113th-minute winner.
Lionel Messi was held off the scoresheet in that match along with the rest of his team as the European side lifted the World Cup title.
MORE: How does the FIFA World Cup draw work?
When was Lionel Messi's first World Cup?
Lionel Messi first appeared at a FIFA World Cup in 2006 in Germany.
While he would be an unused substitute in Argentina's first match, a 2-1 draw with Ivory Coast to begin group stage play, he would come on for his World Cup debut for the final 16 minutes against Serbia and Montenegro, logging a goal and an assist in that substitute appearance.
Messi would then start the group stage finale, a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands where he earned 70 minutes of action.
Just 19 years old at the time, Messi would then see 36 minutes off the bench in their extra-time win over Mexico in the Round of 16, before being an unused substitute in the quarterfinal defeat to hosts Germany, which reached a penalty shootout.
MORE: What to know about World Cup extra time rules
Lionel Messi World Cup history
For much of his career, Lionel Messi was considered more of a World Cup scapegoat than hero.
Argentina craved World Cup glory, watching their bitter South American rivals Brazil triumph time and again while they themselves had just two global titles of their own.
Through the early portion of his career, Messi struggled to deliver that triumphant moment. His first two World Cup appearances in 2006 and 2010 both ended in failure as Argentina exited in the quarterfinals both times. He led the nation to the World Cup final in 2014, but after being blanked, questions only grew whether he could lead his side to a title.
After being dumped in the Round of 16 in 2018, it really seemed that Messi might very well finish his career without a World Cup title. Then, he finally triumphed in 2022 at the age of 34 years old.
| 2006 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 122 |
| 2010 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 450 |
| 2014 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 693 |
| 2018 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 360 |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 690 |
MORE: Who has won the most World Cups as a player?
How many World Cups has Argentina won?
Argentina has won three FIFA World Cup titles in the nation's illustrious football history.
The country's first World Cup championship came in 1978 on home soil, with Argentina hosting the tournament for the first time. Mario Kempes won the Golden Boot as the tournament's stop scorer, scoring a brace in the final as Argentina beat the Netherlands, 3-1 in extra-time.
Argentina would triumph again in 1986, this time with Diego Maradona as the Albiceleste continued their rivalry with Germany. This time, the South American side won 3-2 in the final at the Azteca in Mexico, with Jorge Burruchaga's 83rd-minute goal making the difference.
Then, Lionel Messi would deliver the third title Argentina fans craved so badly in 2022, when the "Little Pea" lifted his side to a world championship in Qatar.
MORE: Which countries have never qualified for the World Cup?
Argentina World Cup history
| 1930 | Uruguay | Final | Uruguay (4-2) | Guillermo Stabile (8)* |
| 1934 | Italy | Round of 16 | Sweden (3-2) | 2 tied w/ 1 goal each |
| 1938 | France | DNP (Withdrew) | — | — |
| 1950 | Brazil | DNP (Withdrew) | — | — |
| 1954 | Switzerland | DNP (Withdrew) | — | — |
| 1958 | Sweden | Group Stage | — | Oreste Corbatta (3) |
| 1962 | Chile | Group Stage | — | 2 tied w/ 1 goal each |
| 1966 | England | Quarterfinals | England (1-0) | Luis Artime (3) |
| 1970 | Mexico | Did not qualify | — | — |
| 1974 | West Germany | 2nd Group Stage | — | Rene Houseman (3) |
| 1978 | Argentina | Won Final | — | Mario Kempes (6)* |
| 1982 | Spain | 2nd Group Stage | — | 3 tied w/ 2 goals each |
| 1986 | Mexico | Won Final | — | Diego Maradona (5) |
| 1990 | Italy | Final | West Germany (1-0) | Claudio Caniggia (2) |
| 1994 | United States | Round of 16 | Romania (3-2) | Gabriel Batistuta (4) |
| 1998 | France | Quarterfinals | Netherlands (2-1) | Gabriel Batistuta (5) |
| 2002 | Japan/South Korea | Group Stage | Sweden (1-1) | 2 tied w/ 1 goal each |
| 2006 | Germany | Quarterfinals | Germany (1-1, 4-2 pens) | 2 tied w/ 3 goals each |
| 2010 | South Africa | Quarterfinals | Germany (4-0) | Gonzalo Higuain (4) |
| 2014 | Brazil | Final | Netherlands 0-0 (4-2 pens) | Lionel Messi (4) |
| 2018 | Russia | Round of 16 | France (4-3) | Sergio Aguero (2) |
| 2022 | Qatar | Won Final | France 3-3 (4-2 pens) | Lionel Messi (7) |
* Won Golden Boot award as World Cup top goal scorer for that year
Who has more World Cup wins, Messi or Ronaldo?
Lionel Messi has more World Cup championships than Cristiano Ronaldo, with his 2022 title more than CR7 who has never won a World Cup title.
The furthest Ronaldo has ever made it at a FIFA World Cup with Portugal is the semifinals, his first-ever World Cup tournament which would see Portugal eliminated by France 1-0 in Germany. Portugal would then go on to lose to the hosts in the third place match, finishing fourth.
Comparison to other soccer legends
Pele is the only player in football history to win three World Cup titles.
15 Brazilians have won two, including Cafu, Garrincha, Pepe, and Ronaldo Nazario. Daniel Passarella is the only Argentine to lift the World Cup trophy twice.
All other superstars in the history of the sport have either won one title or never won before.
MORE: Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup comparison
How many international trophies has Lionel Messi won?
Lionel Messi has won every single major trophy available to him on the international level.
Notably, he won the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup, shaking the monkey off his back in consecutive seasons.
Previously, Messi was considered one of the greatest players in football history to never win a major international trophy.
Lionel Messi major international trophies with Argentina
| Year | Competition | Host | Games | Goals | Assists |
| 2021 | Copa America | Brazil | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| 2022 | Finalissima | England | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022 | FIFA World Cup | Qatar | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| 2024 | Copa America | USA | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Will Lionel Messi retire after 2026 World Cup?
It is widely believed that Lionel Messi will retire from international competition following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
At 38 years old, Messi would be 42 by the time the next World Cup comes around in 2030, and with it highly unlikely that he is still a viable option for Argentina at that tournament, retiring now gives the Albiceleste a chance to move on from Messi across the entirety of the four-year cycle rather than hanging on as long as he can.
Yet Messi has avoided addressing his long-term international future publicly, leaving many to wonder what will become of the Argentine star after the 2026 competition.
Regardless of his impending international fate, it's unlikely that Messi will retire fully after the 2026 World Cup. He is still contracted to Inter Miami at the club level, having just signed a new deal for two more seasons.
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