Two historic marks have already fallen or been equaled at the start of the 2026 World Cup. Lionel Messi, with five goals in Argentina's first two games, passed Miroslav Klose and is now the best scorer ever in World Cups. Kylian Mbappé — the only other player with a real chance of attacking the top in this edition — has also caught Klose, after scoring twice against Senegal and Iraq.
On a collective level, Germany surpassed Brazil in the total number of goals scored in the history of the World Cup, thanks to the 7-1 victory against Curaçao, but Canarinha responded in the second round and equaled the record again.
The tournament organized by the United States, Canada and Mexico is, in itself, a World Cup of records due to its size: with 48 teams, it represents a 50% increase compared to the 32-team format in force since France-1998. And there are more marks that could fall in the coming weeks — from accumulated minutes to individual and collective goals.
World Champions (men)
- 1930 — Uruguay
- 1934 — Italy
- 1938 — Italy
- 1950 — Uruguay
- 1954 — West Germany
- 1958 — Brazil
- 1962 — Brazil
- 1966 — England
- 1970 — Brazil
- 1974 — West Germany
- 1978 — Argentina
- 1982 — Italy
- 1986 — Argentina
- 1990 — West Germany
- 1994 — Brazil
- 1998 — France
- 2002 — Brazil
- 2006 — Italy
- 2010 — Spain
- 2014 — Germany
- 2018 — France
- 2022 — Argentina
Best scorers ever in World Cups (updated after the 2nd round of 2026)
- Lionel Messi now leads the list with 18 goals.
- Kylian Mbappé and Miroslav Klose share second place, both with 16.
- Ronaldo (Brazil) occupies third place with 15 goals in 19 games.
- Gerd Müller (West Germany) has 14 goals in 13 games.
- Just Fontaine (France) is in sixth place in history.
- Pelé has 12 goals and is seventh.
- Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) and Jürgen Klinsmann (West Germany/Germany) have 11 each.
- Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the eight players with 10 goals.
Top scoring teams in World Cup history
- Germany and Brazil — 239 goals each (after two rounds of the 2026 group stage)
- Argentina — 157
- France — 142
- Italy — 128
- Spain — 112
- England — 104
- Netherlands — 103
- Uruguay — 89
- Hungary — 87
Record for minutes played in World Cups
- Lionel Messi is the record holder in minutes: 2,485 in 28 games.
- Paolo Maldini (Italy) comes second; he is 268 minutes behind Messi.
- Lothar Matthäus (Germany), World Champion in 1990, is the only one besides Messi and Maldini over 2,000 minutes (2,045).
- Uwe Seeler (West Germany) is fourth, with 1,980.
- Manuel Neuer (Germany) moved up to fifth, tied with Javier Mascherano (Argentina) — 1,950 minutes.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) is already seventh, with 1,945, after two starts in this World Cup.
- Diego Maradona (Argentina) is right behind, with 1,940.
- Philipp Lahm (Germany) has 1,920 and Hugo Lloris (France) closes the historical top-10.
The 2026 World Cup, the biggest ever, promises to continue to rewrite the record books — both in collective numbers, with the dispute between Germany and Brazil, and on an individual level, with Messi and Mbappé setting new marks in the fight for eternity.