Want to see who has the most assists at the 2026 World Cup so far? Check the latest World Cup assist stats below.
The goalscorers always get the glory, but the men who create the chances can be forgotten about .
However, as Bruno Fernandes broke the Premier League record for assists in a season this term, there are more eyes than ever on this particular metric. Check who is leading the way for assists at this summer’s World Cup.
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What Counts as an Assist?
According to Opta, an assist is awarded to the player who provides the final touch before a teammate scores. However, the rules are not always straightforward.
If a pass takes a deflection on its way to the goalscorer, Opta will only award an assist if the original ball was already heading towards the eventual scorer before the deflection occurred.
Opta’s assist criteria also differ from the broader definitions sometimes used in fantasy football. Assists are not given for own goals, direct free-kick goals, or penalties that are converted by the player who won them.
The one exception involving penalties comes when the designated taker deliberately passes the ball to a teammate instead of shooting. If that teammate scores, an assist can be awarded, provided all other assist criteria are met.
Chance creation stats
Given that assists are created chances that have been converted, unsurprisingly the ‘chances created’ metric is a very similar one and you will often find that players sitting at the top of the chances created metric.
In a similar vein, some of the other metrics included in the table below such as forward passes, final third entries and crosses completed are also relevant to assists.
If you’re looking for some assist betting tips, it makes sense to look at some of these adjacent metrics and look for value with players that are creating chances and making forward passes as these will often, eventually, result in assists.
Who got the most assists at the 2022 World Cup?
Five players tied on three assists at the last World Cup, with winning captain Lionel Messi of Argentina among them. Alongside him were England’s Harry Kane, Antoine Griezmann, Ivan Perisic and that man Bruno Fernandes.
The last man to get more than three assists at one tournament was Germany’s Toni Kroos in 2014.
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Who has the most assists in World Cup history?
It depends who you ask! Because assist stats were not tracked in the earliest World Cups, it’s difficult to say with precision which player in World Cup history has the most assists.
Opta only count tournaments where full footage and event data exists. As such, they consider Argentinian superstars Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona joint leaders with eight assists.
However, FIFA records suggest Brazilian forward Pele leads the way with 10.
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