The 2026 FIFA World Cup has produced a string of historic milestones, with many players and teams setting new records on and off the pitch, some of which have even been recognised by Guinness World Records.
The group stage and Round of 32 saw known stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane solidifying their legacy with record-shattering performances.
According to a report released by FIFA after the group stage, the tournament had already become the biggest in World Cup history, drawing a record 4.64 million fans across 72 matches and averaging three goals per game.
Lione Messi. Photo: Getty Images
Below are some of the major records set during the group stage:
Individual records
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) became the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches.
- Messi also became the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 19 goals.
- At 38 years, 357 days, Messi became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s previous record.
- Cristiano Ronaldo became Portugal’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with 10 goals, overtaking Eusébio.
- Ronaldo also became the only player to score in the most World Cup editions (6).
- Kylian Mbappe became France and Europe’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with 18 goals, one below Messi as of June 3, 2026.
- Harry Kane became England’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with 11 goals, surpassing Gary Lineker.
- Ismael Saibari (Morocco) became the first African player to score in three consecutive World Cup matches.
- Kevin Pina scored Cabo Verde’s first-ever World Cup goal.
Team records
- A record nine African teams progressed to the knockout stage, surpassing the previous best of two achieved in 2014 and 2022.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cabo Verde, Canada, DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt and South Africa reached the knockout stage for the first time.
- Cabo Verde became the only tournament debutant to remain unbeaten in the group stage.
- Canada’s 6-0 victory over Qatar marked the first time a CONCACAF nation scored more than four goals in a World Cup match.
- Japan’s 4-0 win over Tunisia became the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history and the biggest victory by an Asian team at the tournament.
- Mexico won four consecutive World Cup matches for the first time, extending its record among CONCACAF nations.
- Senegal became the first African team to score five goals in a World Cup match.
- The United States’ 4-1 victory over Paraguay was its first-ever four-goal haul in a World Cup game.
Coaching records
- Dick Advocaat (Curaçao) became the oldest coach in World Cup history at 78 years, 271 days.
- Hugo Broos (South Africa) became the oldest coach to win a World Cup match at 74 years, 75 days, breaking the record set earlier in the tournament by Carlos Queiroz.
Goalkeeping record
- Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón set a new Guinness World Record for the longest World Cup clean-sheet streak, going 519 minutes without conceding a goal, eclipsing Walter Zenga’s 518-minute mark set in 1990.
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