Managers are busy assembling their squads for the rapidly approaching 2026 World Cup, which takes place between 11th June and 19th July.
The expanded tournament, hosted across United States, Canada, and Mexico, will be the biggest World Cup in history, with 48 countries and 104 matches.
More games equals more opportunities for records to be broken, from goalscoring milestones and appearance records to assists and clean sheets.
Below, we take a look at 10 player records that could be broken or extended at the 2026 World Cup.
Player records that could be broken
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Most goals
- Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have Miroslav Klose’s record tally of 16 World Cup goals in their sights.
Miroslav Klose remains the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 16 goals, all of which came from inside the penalty area, including six from inside the six-yard box.
Two active stars are now closing in on that record. Lionel Messi heads into the tournament on 13 World Cup goals, while Kylian Mbappe sits just behind on 12, giving both players the chance to equal or surpass Klose’s tally this summer.
Brazilian Ronaldo is second in the all-time standings with 15 goals, ahead of Germany’s Gerd Muller on 14. Messi is currently level with France’s Just Fontaine on 13, while Mbappe shares fifth place with Pele on 12. Fontaine still holds the record for most goals at a single World Cup, scoring all of his 13 goals across just six games back in 1958.
Other present players in the charts who deserve a mention include Harry Kane, Neymar, and Cristiano Ronaldo who are all on eight goals.
Most goals at different World Cups
- Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for scoring at the most World Cups (5).
Speaking of goals, Cristiano Ronaldo already holds the record for scoring at the most World Cups, with his eight goals spread across five World Cups: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.
Ronaldo can of course extend this record to six successive World Cups and will fancy his chances of doing so with a strong-looking Portugal side, who face DR Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia in the group stages.
Most appearances
- Most tournaments: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and possibly Guillermo Ochoa are all set to feature in a record-extending six World Cups.
- Most matches: Lionel Messi can extend his own 26 match appearance record.
- Most finals: Kylian Mbappe could become the second player to play in three straight World Cup finals.
If Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as expected, both play in this summer’s tournament, they will become the first players in history to participate in six editions of the World Cup. The duo are currently level on five World Cups alongside the Mexican trio of Antonio Carbajal, Andres Guardado, Rafael Marquez, plus Germany’s Lothar Matthaus. Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa could also join them on six if he players for the national side.
Messi also holds the all-time record for most World Cup appearances, with 26 matches played, while Ronaldo is fifth on the list with 22 games under his belt.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe could become the second player to play in three straight World Cup finals after Brazilian Cafu in 1994, 1998, and 2002.
Most matches won
- Lionel Messi could break Miroslav Klose’s record of 17 World Cup match wins.
Lionel Messi, again, also has the opportunity to break another one of Klose’s records, this one being matches won at the World Cup.
Klose leads the way with 17 victories in 24 games, but Messi is just one behind on 16 in 24 games – level with Brazil’s Cafu – and looks a good bet to set a new record tally this summer.
He could even surpass Klose in the group stages if he plays and holders Argentina win two of their three games against Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.
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Most clean sheets
- Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer will both have an eye on the clean sheet record held by England’s Peter Shilton and France’s Fabien Barthez.
Now onto the men in between the sticks.
England’s Peter Shilton and France’s Fabien Barthez both lead the way with the most clean sheets (10) for goalkeepers in World Cup history, a joint-record which could be under threat in 2026 from Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois and Germany’s Manuel Neuer, who are both on seven.
Belgium have been pitted in Group G alongside Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand, while Germany feature in Group E where they’ll face Curacao, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador.
Most assists
- Lionel Messi is joint top for assists alongside fellow countryman Diego Maradona.
Lionel Messi will have the opportunity to set a new outright record of assists. He’s currently tied on eight alongside Diego Maradona, and one ahead of Pierre Littbarski (Germany) and Grzegorz Lato (Poland).
Six other players have six assists to their name, including Pele and David Beckham, while one other active player to keep an eye on is Croatia’s Ivan Perisic, 37, who is preparing for his fourth World Cup and will be hungry to enhance his tally of five assists.
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Most yellow cards
- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have an outside chance of closing in on Javier Mascherano, who holds the World Cup record for most yellow cards with seven.
You naturally associate Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with goals rather than bookings, but their longevity at World Cups – a record five, soon to be six, tournaments each – has seen both climb surprisingly high in the disciplinary rankings.
Messi and Ronaldo have each collected four yellow cards at the World Cup, which puts the duo three behind Messi’s former teammate Javier Mascherano, who holds the World Cup record with seven bookings.
While it feels unlikely either player will collect three more yellows this summer, stranger things have happened at the World Cup.
Most Golden Ball awards
- Lionel Messi could win a record-extending third Golden Ball award.
The Golden Ball award is dished out to the tournament’s best player and since its inception in 1982 there has only been one repeat winner.
It probably won’t surprise you too much who that is, Lionel Messi (2014 & 2022), who could now become the first player to win three Golden Ball awards.
Most Golden Boot awards
- Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and James Rodriguez all have the chance to become the first player to win multiple Golden Boot awards.
Now onto the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament’s most prolific goalscorer. If players are tied for goals, then a series of tie-breakers are used, starting with most assists.
No player has ever won more than one Golden Boot gong, but Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and James Rodriguez could all change this in 2026. Surprisingly, this is one award that neither Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo have ever won.
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Most Golden Glove awards
- Manuel Neuer, Thibaut Courtois, and Emiliano Martinez could each be in the running to become the first goalkeeper to win two Golden Glove awards.
The Golden Glove award has only been in place since 1994, but similarly to the Golden Boot, no player has ever scooped the accollade more than once.
This can change in 2026 with the last three victors – Manuel Neuer (2014), Thibaut Courtois (2018), and Emiliano Martinez (2022) – all set to play at the tournament.
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