As the FIFA World Cup 2026 enters its final days, the expanded tournament has already cemented its place in football history, with several long-standing records shattered across team, player and tournament categories.
The introduction of the 48-team format has produced the highest-scoring World Cup on record. With additional matches on the schedule, the tournament has comfortably surpassed the 172 goals scored at the 2022 World Cup, soaring past 290 goals to establish a new benchmark for goals scored in a single edition.
Club football has also found its place in the record books. Real Madrid became the club with the most goals scored by its players in a single World Cup tournament. Led by the prolific form of Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, Madrid players combined for 19 goals, eclipsing the previous record of 18 jointly held by Bayern Munich (2014) and Paris Saint-Germain (2022).
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Much of the tournament has belonged to Mbappé, who has rewritten several individual records. The France forward tied Lionel Messi for the most non-penalty goals in FIFA World Cup history while also becoming the competition’s all-time leading scorer in knockout-stage matches with 12 goals. Mbappé also surpassed Olivier Giroud to become France’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer with 64 international goals.
His remarkable consistency has extended beyond goals alone. Since 1966, Mbappé is the first player to register 10 or more goal contributions in two separate World Cups, recording 10 in 2022 and 11 so far in 2026. Eight of his World Cup goals have come in victories, the most by any player in tournament history, while he also became the first French footballer to be directly involved in more than 100 international goals, with 64 goals and 37 assists.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has also continued to add to his remarkable legacy. During the group stage, he became the all-time leader in World Cup goals and chances created, while also becoming the oldest player to score a World Cup hat trick at age 39. Messi additionally became only the fourth player to start four World Cup quarterfinals, joining Germany’s Lothar Matthäus, Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler.
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Elsewhere, Julián Álvarez strengthened his reputation as a knockout specialist, with four of his five career World Cup goals coming in the knockout rounds, tying Diego Maradona for the second-most by an Argentine player behind only Messi. England’s Jude Bellingham also made history by becoming the first player of any age to score two multi-goal games in a single World Cup knockout stage. Alongside Harry Kane, who also has six goals, the pair became the first England teammates to score five or more goals each at the same World Cup.