Lionel Messi has become the first player in FIFA World Cup history to miss two penalties at a single edition (excluding shootouts). He achieved the unwanted record during the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 clash between Argentina and Egypt.
Yasser Ibrahim put the Pharaohs ahead after 16 minutes. Shortly after, Argentina were handed an opportunity to equalise after Nicolás Tagliafico was brought down in the area.
Lionel Messi assumed responsibility, but he was denied by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who guessed correctly and made the save. His first miss of the tournament came against Austria in the group stage, with Alexander Schlager saving his effort.
That means Messi has now missed 50% of all his penalties at the World Cup (scored four and lost four). The Inter Miami forward’s record from the spot has not been decent of late, having failed to score three of his last six penalties for club and country.
Lionel Messi is the second player with the most penalty misses in football history. He has now missed 24 penalties since 2009/10. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has missed more (25).
Elsewhere, Messi matched Miroslav Klose’s record for the most knockout appearances at the World Cup (14) by being included in the starting XI against Egypt. If Messi scores against Egypt, he will become just the second Argentine to score eight goals at a single World Cup, alongside Guillermo Stabile (1930).