Thursday, July 23, 2026

Al Jazeera - Sports:

In every edition of the global tournament, records emerge for teams, players, fans, and host nations. In this report, we highlight some of the records from the 2026 World Cup, as per the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) website:

(Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane),

(Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé)

First duo from the same national team to score six goals each in a single edition (6).. an achievement that eluded legendary duos such as Sándor Kocsis and Ferenc Puskás, Jairzinho and Pelé, and Rivaldo and Ronaldo. The English duo were the first to achieve it, before the French duo equaled it in the same edition.

Johan Manzambi.. Youngest substitute to score a brace

The number 9 striker entered the pitch while Switzerland were struggling against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and after just 2 minutes and 46 seconds, he gave his team the lead, then returned to score a second goal at the age of 20 years and 247 days, snatching the record from Paraguay's Nelson Cuevas.

Mbappé.. All-time top scorer in World Cup history (22 goals)

Miroslav Klose entered the 23rd edition as the leader of the list with a three-goal margin. Lionel Messi needed only one match to equal his tally, before engaging in an exciting race with Kylian Mbappé until the end.

Messi started the tournament leading Mbappé by one goal, and extended the gap to three goals by the end of the group stage, but the French star turned the tables in the final meters, taking the lead by one goal.

Messi.. Player with most wins (23)

Klose held this record with a margin of just one win, so breaking it seemed expected, and 'The Flea' soon surpassed him after leading Argentina to seven consecutive victories. Kylian Mbappé now lies behind Messi with 17 wins.

Messi.. Player with most consecutive matches scored in (9)

Only Just Fontaine and Jairzinho had scored in six consecutive matches before, but Messi easily surpassed them after continuing to find the net in his first matches in North America, extending his streak to nine consecutive matches.

Messi.. Most goals scored from outside the box (7 goals)

The Argentine captain had previously scored from outside the box against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, and Nigeria in the 2014 edition, then against Mexico in 2022. He added two more goals from outside the area against Algeria to snatch the record from Rivelino, before boosting his tally with a new goal against Jordan.. all of Lionel Messi's World Cup goals have come from outside the box.

Olise.. Most assists (7 assists)

Pelé set up six goals when he amazed the world with Brazil in Mexico 1970, but Olise surpassed him by assisting seven goals with France in North America. He also provided five of those assists to his teammate Kylian Mbappé, the most assists between two players in a single edition of the tournament.

Rodri.. Player with most completed passes in a single edition (790 successful passes)

The Spanish midfielder broke his own previous record, after completing 638 successful passes in Qatar 2022. Rodri had then snatched the record from his compatriot Xavi, who recorded 599 successful passes in South Africa 2010.

Ronaldo.. First player to score in 6 different editions

The 41-year-old Portugal captain became the first player to score in six different World Cup editions, an achievement not matched by his rival Lionel Messi, who failed to score in the 2010 South Africa edition. He also became the second oldest scorer in the tournament's history after Roger Milla. Ironically, Michael Laudrup with Denmark, Messi, and Ronaldo hold the title of youngest and oldest scorer in their respective national teams' World Cup history.

Eloy Room.. Most saves by a goalkeeper in a single match (16 saves)

The Curaçao goalkeeper equaled the record after making 16 saves against Ecuador led by Enner Valencia in Kansas City. American Tim Howard had made the same number against Belgium in 2014, but Room achieved it in 30 minutes less time. Curaçao, with a population of about 156,000, had previously become the smallest nation by population to participate in the World Cup, surpassing Iceland. Cape Verde, with a population of about 530,000, became the smallest nation to reach the knockout stages in tournament history.

Unai Simón.. Most clean sheets by a goalkeeper (7 matches)

The Spanish goalkeeper kept clean sheets in seven of the eight matches he played in the tournament. The previous record was five clean sheets, achieved by Jan Jongbloed with the Netherlands in 1974, Walter Zenga with Italy in 1990, Taffarel with Brazil in 1994, Fabien Barthez with France in 1998, Oliver Kahn with Germany in 2002, Gianluigi Buffon with Italy in 2006, and Iker Casillas with Spain in 2010.

Unai Simón, along with Pedro Porro, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsí, and Marc Cucurella, contributed to building a solid defensive system that led Spain to concede only one goal throughout the tournament, despite facing France led by Kylian Mbappé and Argentina led by Lionel Messi. That is the fewest goals conceded by a team that won the World Cup, surpassing France 1998 led by Fabien Barthez, Italy 2006 led by Gianluigi Buffon, and Spain 2010 led by Iker Casillas, each of whom conceded two goals.

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