Lionel Messi continues to add to his legacy at the FIFA World Cup, although this time with a record few expected. During Argentina's Round of 16 match against Egypt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the captain missed another penalty kick and became the player with the most penalties taken, as well as the most penalties missed, in the tournament's history, excluding penalty shootouts.

An unwanted record

The missed penalty against the Egyptian goalkeeper came just minutes into the first half and marked Messi's eighth penalty taken in FIFA World Cup matches, a milestone no other player had previously reached. With that attempt, he also accumulated four missed penalties, the highest total in the tournament's history.

In addition, the Argentine became the first player to miss two penalties in the same FIFA World Cup edition, having also failed to convert from the spot during the group stage against Austria.

Messi's missed penalties at the FIFA World Cup

The Argentine captain's four missed penalties in regular time are:

• Russia 2018: against Iceland.
• Qatar 2022: against Poland.
• 2026 FIFA World Cup: against Austria.
• 2026 FIFA World Cup: against Egypt.

Despite those misses, Messi has also converted several crucial penalties, particularly during Qatar 2022, where he scored four penalties on Argentina's way to winning the FIFA World Cup title.