Lionel Messi’s World Cup streak ends as Spain win 1-0 in final | OneFootball

On Sunday, Lionel Messi failed to register a goal or assist in the 2026 World Cup final against Spain, Argentina lost 0-1 at MetLife Stadium, New York. It was his first World Cup match without a direct contribution since the 2022 group stage, ending a run of 12 games.

L'Équipe notes that his attacking influence had been consistent across recent World Cup outings.

His previous World Cup game without a goal or assist was Argentina’s third group match in 2022, a 2-0 win over Poland, when he missed a penalty against Wojciech Szczesny.

He then found the net in the last 16 against Australia, the quarter-final against the Netherlands, the semi-final against Croatia and the final against France.

In 2026 he was decisive in every match before the final, scoring three against Algeria, two against Austria and one against Jordan in the group stage.

He added one against Cape Verde, produced a goal and an assist versus Egypt, set up one against Switzerland and supplied two assists against England in the knockouts.

Source: L'Équipe