Messi Scores vs Cape Verde - First Player to Score in 8 Straight World Cup Games
Lionel Messi scored in the 29th minute against Cape Verde in Miami. He is the first player in history to score in eight consecutive World Cup matches. Career goal 20.
Lionel Messi just made World Cup history again.
In the 29th minute of Argentina vs Cape Verde in Miami, Messi scored to make it 1-0. With that goal, he became the first player ever to score in eight consecutive World Cup matches.
The goal
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Minute | 29’ |
| Score | Argentina 1-0 Cape Verde |
| How | Left foot, from the right side of the six-yard box, top right corner |
| Assist | Lisandro Martínez |
| Stadium | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami |
Messi had already gone close earlier - a shot wide, then a free kick saved by Vozinha. On the third big chance, he did not miss.
Why this is history
Before tonight, Messi already held the record for scoring in seven World Cup games in a row. That streak started at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and continued into 2026.
Tonight he made it eight.
Nobody else has done that. Not Just Fontaine. Not Jairzinho. Only Messi.
| Record | Before tonight | After this goal |
|---|---|---|
| Goals in a row (World Cup matches) | 7 | 8 |
| Career World Cup goals | 19 | 20 |
| Goals at World Cup 2026 | 6 | 7 |
He is also the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history - and still adding to the total.
The streak - game by game
The run started in 2022:
- Australia (Round of 16)
- Netherlands (quarterfinal)
- Croatia (semifinal)
- France (final)
Then at World Cup 2026:
- Algeria (hat-trick)
- Austria (two goals)
- Jordan (free kick)
- Cape Verde (tonight)
Eight games. At least one goal every time.
What it means tonight
This is a Round of 32 knockout match. Lose and you go home.
Argentina are the defending champions. Cape Verde are the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup knockout stage. Goalkeeper Vozinha became an internet star after holding Spain to 0-0 in the group stage.
Messi scored in his club city - Miami - in front of a crowd that felt like Buenos Aires.
The match was still going when this report was published. Argentina led 1-0.
Quick summary
- Messi scored in the 29th minute vs Cape Verde
- First player to score in 8 straight World Cup games
- Career World Cup goals: 20
- Goals at this World Cup: 7
- Score at the time of the goal: Argentina 1-0 Cape Verde
History keeps writing itself. Messi keeps scoring.