2026 World Cup Qualifiers, Ramadhan Sananta's Goal Above Messi

Indonesian footballer Ramadhan Sananta has made it into the top 8 of the provisional top scorers in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

According to Bola.com, the Indonesian national team striker's position is on par with Mohamed Salah (Egypt) and Saleh Al-Sehri (Saudi Arabia), who both scored 4 goals until March 27, 2024.

Ramadhan Sananta's latest goal was scored in the second round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers, when Indonesia played against the Philippines at the Mu Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, on Tuesday (26/3/2024). He scored one goal in the 13th minute, and the match ended with a 3-0 victory for Indonesia.

Previously, Ramadhan Sananta scored his other 3 goals against Brunei Darussalam in two matches of the first round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Ramadhan Sananta's achievement surpasses Lionel Messi. Until March 27, 2024, the Argentinian football star had only scored 3 goals, the same as another Indonesian national team striker, Dimas Drajad.

Dimas Drajad scored 3 goals in two matches against Brunei Darussalam at the end of last year.

Both Ramadhan Sananta and Dimas Drajad have the potential to increase their goal tallies, as the Indonesian national team still has two more matches to play.

Indonesia is scheduled to play two home matches against Iraq and the Philippines in June 2024. The Garuda squad only needs one win to secure their place in the third round of qualification.

Below is a complete list of the provisional top scorers in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian and South American zones as of March 27, 2024, as reported by Bola.com:

1. Almoez Ali (Qatar): 7 goals
2. Wu Lei (China): 5 goals
3. Ayase Ueda (Japan): 5 goals
4. Musa Al-Taamari (Jordan): 5 goals
5. Darwin Nunez (Uruguay): 5 goals
6. Mohamed Salah (Egypt): 4 goals
7. Ramadhan Sananta (Indonesia): 4 goals
8. Saleh Al-Sehri (Saudi Arabia): 4 goals
9. Lionel Messi (Argentina): 3 goals
10. Jamie Maclaren (Australia): 3 goals
11. Mahmoud Hassan (Egypt): 3 goals
12. Dimas Drajad (Indonesia): 3 goals
13. Sardar Azmoun (Iran): 3 goals
14. Joel Kojo (Kyrgyzstan): 3 goals
15. Jong Il-gwan (North Korea): 3 goals
16. Oday Dabbagh (Palestine): 3 goals
17. Omar Khribin (Iraq): 3 goals
18. Suphanat Mueanta (Thailand): 3 goals
19. Ali Mabkhout (UAE): 3 goals
20. Fabio Lima (UAE): 3 goals
21. Nicolas de la Cruz (Uruguay): 3 goals
22. Eldor Shomurodov (Uzbekistan): 3 goals
23. Patson Daka (Zambia): 3 goals