Messi has lost another World Cup final as Argentina were beaten by Spain in the 2026 final match.
How many World Cup finals has Lionel Messi played in? Has he ever won the tournament?
Argentina reached its second consecutive World Cup final and a third in four tournaments but was beaten by Spain in Sunday’s showpiece.
Messi took part in a sixth World Cup, tying Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most tournament appearances. In his previous five World Cups, he reached the final twice, with vastly different outcomes.
Messi’s long road to World Cup glory
The then-Barcelona playmaker won the Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament’s best player, at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he scored four goals and provided one assist in seven games. However, none of those contributions came in the final, which Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany after extra time.
For much of Messi’s career, it seemed as if the World Cup simply might not be his “thing.” That all changed in 2022.
Greatness comes full circle.
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 19, 2026
Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi share a moment after Spain defeated Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final. pic.twitter.com/J3wd96fewb
Prior to then, Messi and Argentina had been eliminated in the quarterfinals in both 2006 and 2010, suffered heartbreak in Rio de Janeiro in 2014, and exited in the round of 16 in 2018.
The attacker had managed six goals and five assists in 19 World Cup appearances, respectable numbers for almost anyone else but below the standard expected of him.
Qatar changed everything
At the age of 35, everything began to click in Qatar.
For the second time in his career, Messi won the Golden Ball, but this time he also got his hands on the prize he really wanted and thought he might never win: the World Cup trophy. His seven goals, along with three assists, included a double in the final against France, which Argentina won on penalties to be crowned world champions for the first time in 36 years.
Most assumed Messi would bow out at the very top and never grace the World Cup stage again. How wrong they were.
Messi’s 2026 World Cup ends in disappointment
In 2026, the veteran superstar scored an astonishing eight goals and created two more in eight games, briefly becoming the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer before being overtaken by Kylian Mbappé.
However, he was unable to become the first player to captain two World Cup-winning teams, with Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scoring the only goal in extra time for Spain in New Jersey.
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