World Cup records that could be broken in 2026 as Messi, Mbappe and Ronaldo chase more history | OneFootball

As the World Cup in 2026 looms, we look at the records destined to fall in North America as 48 teams gather for an extravaganza.

There are already 42 of those teams confirmed, with the remaining six places decided this month.

Most goals scored in a World Cup tournament: 172 (Qatar 2022)

The easiest place to start. It’s not a question of whether this record is broken, but by how much, with the new 48-team format seeing the total number of games rocketing from 64 to 104.

Even if this tournament matches the lowest ever goals per game from any World Cup (Italia 90’s 2.21) it would still beat the record set in 2022 by over 50 goals.

In the less likely event this World Cup matches the highest ever goals per game – 1954’s absurd 5.38 – then we’re looking at a new record more than three times greater than its predecessor.

Those 1954 numbers are wild and surely unrepeatable even if the 2026 World Cup should by definition open up more potential for early mismatches on the back of its increased participants.

That 1954 tournament has probably put all manner of records out of anyone’s reach ever again, by the way. The highest scoring game wasn’t even in the group games but was in fact Austria’s 7-5 win over the hosts Switzerland in the quarter-finals.

Five of the eight games in the knockouts featured at least six goals, while two of the exceptions were the final and third-place play-off which only managed five and four respectively.

Hungary scored 17 goals in their two group games – enough on its own to outscore the leading scorers at 12 of the 16 World Cups that have followed.

They added four more in their quarter-final and semi-final victories over Brazil and Uruguay, and though they could only manage two in defeat to the Germans in the final, their final tally of 27 means that even the eight games available to teams at this World Cup still requires a scoring rate of 3.5 per game from a team that makes at least the semi-finals to overhaul the Magical Magyars.

Most red cards at a World Cup tournament: 28 (Germany 2006)

The sheer number of games at this World Cup obviously puts all ‘total’ records well within reach, but this one might be more ticklish. The 28 red cards dished out in 2006 really is a lot – close to one every other game with the 28th, shown to Zinedine Zidane in the final, among the most infamous in the game’s history.

Only one other World Cup in the 64-game era even managed to crack 20 red cards to give an idea of what an outlier 2006 was.

But again with 104 games, it seems likely to fall, with only around 0.3 red cards per game needed to reach 29 which places the total far closer to the 17 red cards shown at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups.

Most yellow cards at a World Cup tournament: 345 (Germany 2006)

Another simple numbers game. What required cards to be flourished and brandished at a rate of nearly 5.5 per game in 2006 drops to a requirement barely above three this time around.

Obviously you can carry on yourselves if you wish and do this for just about every ‘most [football thing] at a World Cup tournament’ you care to think of. Penalties, corners, offsides, free-kicks, goal-kicks, throw-ins, and so on and so forth. Knock yourselves out.

Most goals at the World Cup: Miroslav Klose (16)

Seems unlikely the 2026 tournament ends with the German still top of this particular list. Lionel Messi is only three goals behind him, and Kylian Mbappe – absurdly, really, for a player who is still only 27 – one further back.

Rather more distant but certainly not entirely out of striking range in a tournament that offers potential group-stage mismatches and eight games in total are Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo, both on eight goals and halfway there.

More definitely within range for that pair are national records; one goal draws Ronaldo level with Eusebio, while two would put Kane alongside Gary Lineker.

On which note, Mbappe’s next World Cup goal will bring him level with Just Fontaine’s 13 for France, all of which were scored at the 1958 tournament and are another wild outlier that, like the 1954 Hungary team, puts a record that should by rights be in range in an expanded tournament still most likely out of reach.

Might be half a chance for someone to become the first player in 56 years to reach double figures for goals at a single World Cup, mind. Nobody has managed more than eight since Gerd Muller’s 10 at Mexico 1970.

Most World Cup tournaments scored in: Cristiano Ronaldo (5)

Has scored at least once at every World Cup since 2006 and thus likely to extend his own record in North America.

Should he fail to score at all, though, Lionel Messi has the chance to match Ronaldo’s five while still surely cursing his failure to find a goal at the 2010 World Cup. Messi does, though, hold the record for most tournaments assisted at with five, so that’s something to ease his pain. Along with, you know, his actual World Cup title.

Most World Cup Golden Boots: 1

A genuine head-spinner of a stat, we reckon. There is no player in history to have won two Golden Boots at the men’s World Cup. Wild.

Kylian Mbappe (2022) and Harry Kane (2018) thus have the chance to break new ground here and will be among the obvious favourites.

Longest gap between World Cup titles: 44 years (Italy, 1938 to 1982)

Apparently it will be 60 years of hurt for England in 2026, but nobody has ever mentioned this?

Of course, it’s not just England who can break this record. Or even by the biggest amount, with Uruguay once again seeking a first World Cup title since 1950.

Both can also obliterate the record for longest gap between finals, which currently stands at 48 for Argentina between 1930 and 1978.

Most consecutive finals: 3, West Germany (1982-1990) and Brazil (1994-2002)

France can join West Germany and Brazil on three consecutive finals after winning the 2018 title and finishing second in 2022.

Most consecutive titles: 2, Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962)

There are plenty of reasons when you stop and think about it, but it’s still striking that only two teams have ever successfully defended a World Cup title, and none in 64 years. Argentina bid to join this group in North America.

Most World Cups played in: Brazil (22)

The only ever-presents have already qualified for 2026 to extend their record here.

Most World Cup caps: Lionel Messi (26)

The overwhelming likelihood is of course that Messi simply extends his own record here, but for mischief’s sake let’s say Argentina have a disaster, or Messi suffers injury and/or suspension woes. His old rival Cristiano Ronaldo is only four matches behind him, so a deep run for Portugal could see this record change hands.

Oldest goalscorer in a World Cup knockout game: Pepe, 39 years and 283 days (Portugal v Switzerland, Qatar 2022)

Roger Milla’s goal for Cameroon against Russia at the age of 42 back at USA 94 puts the overall record out of range for Cristiano Ronaldo at this tournament, but he can still become the first over-40 to score in the knockout stages.

Lionel Messi at 35 years and 177 days old is already the oldest winning goalscorer in a final and within 100 days of the overall record held by Nils Liedholm of Sweden back in 1958.

Obviously Messi himself as well as Ronaldo have the chance to obliterate these records.

Biggest margin of victory in a World Cup game: 9 goals (Hungary 10-1 El Salvador, 1982; Hungary 9-0 South Korea, 1954, Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire, 1974)

We’d still file this one unlikely given the overall rate of improvement among lower-ranked qualifiers over the decades, but an inevitable by-product of the expansion to a 48-team format is that there will be worse teams in the group stage than has previously been the case.

This is especially true due to the vast majority of the extra places being awarded to what are traditionally weaker confederations; Europe and South America only have a handful of extra places between them.

Among the confirmed qualifiers we have New Zealand (ranked 85th in the world in FIFA’s latest list) and debutants in Jordan (64), Cape Verde (67), Uzbekistan (52) and Curacao (81) all ranked outside the top 50.

Qatar (56), South Africa (60), Saudi Arabia (61), Ghana (72) and Haiti (83) have all qualified despite lowly ranking positions.

New Caledonia – ranked 150th in the world – have secured a place in the inter-confederation play-off after losing out to New Zealand in OFC qualifying. They will meet Jamaica (70) for the right to face DR Congo (48) in the final of their play-off path.

The lowest ranked team at Qatar 2022 was Ghana, who were 61st at the time and the only team other than hosts Qatar (51) ranked outside the top 50 in the world.

Ghana’s 2022 ranking – 10 lower than anyone else at that tournament, remember – would have been enough to get them into pot three for the 2026 draw.