Lionel Messi Celebrates His Birthday at the 2026 World Cup with the Argentina Squad

Lionel Messi celebrates his 39th birthday in the midst of the 2026 World Cup (Instagram/@afaseleccionen).

JAKARTA - Lionel Messi celebrated his 39th birthday on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, local time, in the midst of the 2026 World Cup.

At least for now, the celebration with teammates gives him joy. The early gift, Argentina has been confirmed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and Messi has become the top scorer of his career in this tournament.

Messi celebrated his birthday with his teammates at Argentina's training base in Kansas City, Missouri. This is his sixth World Cup and the fifth time he has had a birthday during the tournament. The exception is the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was played in November and December.

Messi has scored in every Argentina game at the 2026 World Cup, netting three goals in the opening win over Algeria and another two in the victory over Austria.

He has scored 18 goals in his World Cup career, two more than Miroslav Klose and Kylian Mbappe.

On social media, Messi shared a photo of himself with a cake, along with some of his teammates. The cake comes from Pan Caliente, a bakery in Kansas City owned by an Argentine pastry chef.

In another photo, the Argentine players posed with Messi, all wearing shirts featuring their personal photos with the captain.

"To the man who changed our lives, gave us unforgettable moments, and made us believe that dreams are possible. The best part is not just seeing him, but living it with you! Happy birthday, captain, we love you. May you be very happy," it read on the shirt, according to a social media post by striker Julian Alvarez.

FIFA, Inter Miami, and Barcelona were among those who sent birthday greetings to Messi.

In his hometown of Rosario, about 5,000 children from local schools sang "Happy Birthday", and some even brought cakes.