Jun 22, 2026
Lionel Messi is officially the FIFA World Cup’s all-time top scorer after netting his 17th and 18th career goals in the tournament on Monday.
The two goals came against Austria in the first half of Argentina’s second Group J group match held in Dallas-Fortworth, Texas.
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Messi now has five goals in this year’s World Cup. He scored a hat-trick against Algeria on June 16 to tie former German international and fellow World Cup winner Miroslav Klose.
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Messi and Argentina are one of the hottest attractions at this year’s tournament — alongside Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and France’s Kylian Mbappe — with fans traveling far and wide and paying top dollar to watch them.
Fans have no problem paying to see Messi
The World Cup has drawn significant criticism from fans, public officials, and journalists for the cost of attending a match. However, people have shown they’re willing to pay. Fans are often asked outside of stadiums on social media how much they’ve paid for tickets. It’s common to pay more than $1,000 to watch Argentina. One fan paid $10,000.
Specifically for Argentina’s match against Austria on Monday, ticket prices on the secondary market went from high to another level altogether.
The morning of the game, StubHub said it cost more than $2,000 for a seat in the last rows of the upper deck of Dallas Stadium, according to Dallas Morning News. Data from TicketData.com showed that Argentina vs. Austria prices were up 27% over last week and 88% since the start of the tournament.
Seeing Messi play for Argentina is one thing. But fans had an even larger appetite to watch him play when he was one goal away from setting the record. Safe to say ticket prices will only go up as Argentina progresses in the tournament and attempts to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to repeat as champions.
Messi plays for Inter Miami at the club level, where it’s also common during the MLS season for his visit to U.S. and Canadian cities to drive up ticket prices for locals compared to other regular season matches.
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Messi’s career earnings
Messi has estimated career earnings of $1.8 billion from a combination of soccer contracts, memorabilia, and brand partnerships, such as those with Adidas and Pepsi. His career haul is only behind Cristinao Ronaldo and Tiger Woods.
According to Forbes, his net worth is estimated at $1.1 billion. The outlet accounted for cash accumulation and appreciation throughout his career, in addition to an opportunity to acquire a stake in Inter Miami after he retires, in its valuation.
Messi is one of four athletes to ever join the billionaire’s club while still active, alongside Woods, Ronaldo, and LeBron James.
Argentina’s next game in the World Cup is this Saturday against Jordan. The game will start at 10 p.m. ET.
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Danni Santana is a journalist based out of New York City with a decade of experience reporting and editing business stories about retail, restaurants, sports, and personal finance.
