World Cup records — everything notable.
World Cup records (through Qatar 2022)
| Category | Record |
|---|---|
| Most goals (all-time) | Miroslav Klose · 16 goals across 4 World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014). |
| Most goals in a single tournament | Just Fontaine · 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden (still untouchable). |
| Most goals in a final | Geoff Hurst · 3 vs West Germany in 1966 — the only hat-trick in a WC final. |
| Youngest scorer in a final | Pelé · 17 years 249 days vs Sweden in 1958. |
| Fastest goal in a final | Johan Neeskens (Netherlands) · 1 minute 25 seconds vs West Germany, 1974. |
| Most appearances by a player | Lionel Messi · 26 matches across 5 World Cups (passed Lothar Matthäus at Qatar 2022). |
| Most consecutive WCs played | Lothar Matthäus · 5 (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) — tied with Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi. |
| Highest-scoring match | Austria 7-5 Switzerland · 1954 quarterfinal — 12 goals total. |
| Biggest winning margin | Hungary 10-1 El Salvador · 1982 group stage. |
| Most WC titles by a player | Pelé · 3 (1958, 1962, 1970) — still the only player to lift three. |
| Won as player AND coach | Mário Zagallo (Brazil), Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany), Didier Deschamps (France) — three men, no one else. |
| Most goals by a non-Western team | Ferenc Puskás · 84 goals total internationally but 4 at the 1954 WC. |
| Oldest player at a WC | Essam El-Hadary (Egypt) · 45 years 161 days vs Saudi Arabia, 2018. |
| Oldest scorer | Roger Milla (Cameroon) · 42 years 39 days vs Russia, 1994. |
| First red card in a WC final | Pedro Monzón (Argentina) · 1990 vs West Germany. |
| Most penalty-shootout wins | Germany · 4-0 record in WC shootouts (1982, 1986, 1990, 2006). |
| Final attendance record | 174,000+ at Maracanã in 1950 (the deciding match between Brazil and Uruguay). |
| Tournament with most goals | France 1998 + Brazil 2014 + Russia 2018 each delivered 171, 171 and 169 goals respectively; Qatar 2022 produced 172. |
Records likely to be challenged in 2026
With 104 matches instead of 64 and up to 8 games per finalist, the 2026 expanded format means individual scoring records are more reachable than they've been since 1958. Kylian Mbappé started 2026 four goals behind Klose's all-time mark of 16. Messi was three behind. Lewandowski, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Haaland and Lamine Yamal all open the tournament looking to chase records that were essentially unreachable in shorter formats.
Lothar Matthäus' 25-match record was passed by Messi at Qatar 2022 (26). With a 5th tournament, that could extend further if Argentina survive the group. Cristiano Ronaldo, still active at 41, is also at five tournaments.
Attendance records will face their biggest test since 1950. MetLife Stadium (final) seats 82,500; AT&T Stadium (semi-final) 80,000. Total tournament attendance will easily exceed any prior World Cup given 40 more matches.
More from the World Cup category
- → World Cup category index
- → World Cup 2026 — live hub
- → All-time top scorers
- → Country rankings — all-time medals
- → Finals history (1930-2022)
- → Golden Ball winners
- → Golden Glove winners
- → World Cup records
- → Famous supporter groups
- → Player legends — top 20
- → Country histories (Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Italy, France, Uruguay, Spain, England)