Lionel Messi breaks FIFA World Cup record for most goals scored from outside the penalty area

Lionel Messi officially holds the absolute record for the most goals scored from outside the penalty area in FIFA World Cup history.

Record Breakdown
The Record Strike: Messi broke the tie during the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage finale against Jordan. He struck a sensational long-range free-kick in the 80th minute, marking his 6th career World Cup goal from outside the box.

Who He Surpassed:
With his 6th long-range goal, Messi overtook Brazilian legend Roberto Rivelino, who held the previous record with 5 goals from distance (compiled during the 1970 and 1974 tournaments).

Most Goals From Outside the Box (World Cup History)
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 6 goals
2. Roberto Rivelino (Brazil) – 5 goals
3. Lothar Matthäus (Germany) – 4 goals
4. Diego Forlán (Uruguay) – 4 goals

Lionel Messi came off the bench to score his sixth goal of the tournament as Argentina warmed up for their World Cup knockout match with Cape Verde by beating Jordan 3-1 on Saturday.

The ageless Messi tops the scoring charts in North America as the tournament heads into the last 32.

Cape Verde's players will be wondering how they can stop Messi when the debutants ranked 67 face the champions on July 3 in Miami.

With qualification already in the bag, Messi started on the bench but came on after an hour in Texas to huge cheers to get his side's third with a free-kick.

Argentina finished emphatically top of Group J with maximum points after also beating Algeria 3-0 and defeating Austria 2-0, all those goals coming from Messi.