The 2026 World Cup could be the scene for several record-breaking moments.

HIGHLIGHTS

 The 2026 World Cup is taking place in America, Canada and Mexico — and several records might be broken.
 Records such as the most goals scored, most appearances and goalscoring streaks could all come under threat.
 Several depend on Lionel Messi’s international future and whether he features in North America.

The World Cup is the greatest football competition in the world. Taking place every four years, it is where players walk onto the pitch, but legends walk off it. Careers can be changed in a matter of seconds by performances at the tournament — and it’s when players can truly show just how talented they are. There is no bigger pride than representing your country at the World Cup.

Since the first edition in 1930, there have been thousands of players to step foot on hallowed fields around the world. Some have faltered, yet others have taken it with a spring in their step, dominating matches from start to finish. The next World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico takes place in 2026 and the world’s eyes will be glued.

With the next journey to glory getting closer, this article has decided to take a look at eight records that could be broken in North America. Some are more likely than others, but we have no doubt it will once again be a tournament to remember.

8 Records That Could be Broken at 2026 World Cup

Record
Holder
Year Achieved

Oldest player to play in a final
Essam El Hadary
2018

Most goals scored
Miroslav Klose
2014

Most goals scored in a tournament (overall)
N/A
2022

Most matches coached
Helmut Schon
1978

Most matches won as manager
Helmut Schon
1978

Most consecutive matches scored in
Just Fontaine, Jairzinho
1958, 1978

Most consecutive finals reached
West Germany, Brazil
1990, 2002

Most appearances
Lionel Messi
2022

The 2026 World Cup might be the end of an era for a plethora of world-class players.

1Oldest Player

Essam El Hadary (45 years, 161 days) – 2018

Firstly, this record always has the possibility of being broken at every World Cup. The record of ‘oldest player’ at a World Cup belongs to Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, who featured for his country during the 2018 edition. At 45 years old, it was a remarkable feat, especially considering he was over two years older than the second-oldest player, Faryd Mondragon. We won’t truly know if this might be broken until the squads are announced a few weeks before the tournament starts. Even Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t have a chance of breaking it, but another unknown player might.

The 5 Oldest Players in World Cup History

Player
Country
World Cup
Age

Essam El Hadary
Egypt
2018
45 years, 161 days

Faryd Mondragon
Colombia
2014
43 years, 3 days

Roger Milla
Cameroon
1994
42 years, 39 days

Pat Jennings
Northern Ireland
1986
41 years, 0 days

Peter Shilton
England
1990
40 years, 292 days

The World Cup has seen some legendary names play well into the twilight of their careers, including the likes of Dino Zoff and Roger Milla.

2Top Goal-Scorer

Miroslav Klose – 16

Miroslav Klose was a phenomenal player at his very best, but – on the club scene – he was never truly considered one of the best players in the world. Yet, during a summer World Cup, it was a different story. It just clicked. He scored 16 goals in 24 appearances across four tournaments, from 2002 to 2014, which places him one ahead of Ronaldo in the overall standings. However, he is now under threat. It is unclear if Lionel Messi will be competing in North America, but he is just three goals behind. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe, who still has two, if not three tournaments ahead of him, is just four goals behind. It seems almost certain he will break the record – it just depends on when.

Top Goal-Scorers in World Cup History

Name
Country
Goals Scored

Miroslav Klose
Germany
16

Ronaldo
Brazil
15

Gerd Muller
Germany
14

Just Fontaine
France
13

Lionel Messi
Argentina
13

Kylian Mbappe
France
12

GIVEMESPORT looks at the top 10 World Cup goal-scorers in history, featuring Mbappe, Messi and Ronaldo.

3Most Goals Scored in a Tournament

2022 World Cup – 172

The 2022 World Cup is widely considered one of the greatest tournaments of all time. It was full of drama, chaos and intrigue as Argentina claimed victory on penalties in the final. However, it wasn’t just fan opinion that thought that; the stats backed it up too. The edition in the Middle East featured the most goals ever in a single tournament (172), one ahead of the tournaments in Brazil in 2014 and France in 1998. However, that record will almost certainly be broken in North America. The 2026 tournament will have 48 teams and 104 matches compared to the 64 in Qatar.

Most Goals Scored in a Tournament

Tournament
Goals Scored

Qatar 2022
172

France 1998
171

Brazil 2014
171

Russia 2018
169

4Most Games Managed

Helmut Schon (1966-1978) – 25

Several managers are considered the greatest coaches of all time because of their success at the World Cup. Helmut Schon fits into that bracket after winning the tournament with West Germany in 1970. He also coached his country to second in 1966 and third in 1974. Throughout his career, he took charge of 25 matches at the world’s biggest football tournament, yet it looks like that record will be broken in 2026. France manager Didier Deschamps has managed 19 games for his country, including winning the tournament in 2018. His contract was extended until the end of the 2026 World Cup, which means he will break it if they reach the semi-finals.

Most Games Managed

Manager
Games Managed

Helmut Schon
25

Carlos Alberto Parreira
23

Felipe Scolari
21

Mario Zagallo
20

Didier Deschamps
19

5Most Games Won as a Manager

Helmut Schon (1966-1978) – 16

The former West Germany manager features twice on this list. Losing one record is disappointing enough; being deprived of two would be even worse. However, that is a very plausible case once 2026 comes calling. Once again, it is France manager Deschamps who might take the record away from the German. He has won 14 matches at the World Cup, meaning he needs just three wins to claim the title outright. With the possibility of eight games for each country at the next tournament, it seems highly likely the former player will be the owner of two new crowns.

Most Games Won as a Manager

Manager
Games Won

Helmut Schon
16

Felipe Scolari
14

Didier Deschamps
14

Mario Zagallo
13

Joachim Low
12

6Most Consecutive Games Scored in

Just Fontaine (1958), Jairzinho (1978) – 6

This record is slightly more unknown than others on this list, but if anyone managed to break it, they would be in the form of their life. At the 1958 World Cup, Frenchman Just Fontaine scored in six consecutive matches, whilst Brazilian Jairzinho replicated the feat at the 1978 tournament. On both occasions, they finished third in the tournament, yet their record lives on. It is unclear who will be able to break the record in North America, but they have potentially eight matches to break it. The likes of Mbappe and Harry Kane will be dreaming.

Most Consecutive Games Scored in

Name
Year
Goals Scored

Just Fontaine
1958
6

Jairzinho
1978
6

7Most Consecutive Finals Reached

West Germany (1982-1990), Brazil (1994-2002) – 3

French players have featured regularly on this list — and, in 2026, their squad has the opportunity to break another record. Only two countries, West Germany and Brazil, have reached the final three tournaments in a row. France have the chance to replicate that feat after winning the tournament in 2018 and losing on penalties in the final in 2022. If they do reach the final in New Jersey, they will be hoping to go one better than they did in Qatar and claim glory, but even reaching the final two for a third time in a row would be unbelievable.

Most Consecutive FInals Reached

Team
Years

West Germany
1982, 1986, 1990

Brazil
1994, 1998, 2002

France
2018, 2022

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962) are the only two nations to have successfully retained the World Cup.

8Most World Cup Appearances

Lionel Messi (2022) – 26

Last, but not least, Messi currently holds the record for the most appearances in World Cup history. At 26, he is one ahead of former German international Lothar Matthaus — and there is one major question mark about this record; will he feature in North America? If he doesn’t, the door opens for France international Antoine Griezmann. The Atletico Madrid striker is one of the best players in the world and he’s featured in 19 World Cup matches. In the next edition, a maximum of eight matches can be played, so he could easily become the most capped player at the biggest competition in the world if France perform strongly.

Most World Cup Appearances

Player
Appearances

Lionel Messi
26

Lothar Matthaus
25

Miroslav Klose
24

Paolo Maldini
23

Cristiano Ronaldo
22