By the time the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America is over — it runs from June 11 to July 19 — there’s a good chance that many of the tournament’s team and individual records will have been broken.
For the first time, the tournament will expand from 32 teams to 48, increasing the number of matches from 64 to 104 with the addition of a round of 32. More games mean more opportunities for players, coaches and nations to chase records that once seemed out of reach.
Since the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, generations of players and managers have cemented their place in the sport’s history through unforgettable performances on the game’s grandest stage. From goals, cards, matches and others, what are some records that could be broken this summer, and what are some records that will feel very out of reach?
Records that will fall
Most matches won by a manager: Helmut Schön (West Germany), 16
What Helmut Schön achieved with West Germany between 1966 and 1978 — across four consecutive World Cups — remains one of the greatest managerial runs in World Cup history. Not only does he hold the record for most matches managed at a World Cup with 25, leading his nation to the final in 1966, third place in 1970 and champions in 1974, but he also became the first coach to win both the European Championship (1972) and the World Cup (1974). The only other manager to accomplish that was Vicente del Bosque with Spain in 2010 and 2012.
Barring a shockingly bad performance, France manager Didier Deschamps will most certainly surpass Schön’s record. Since taking over the French national team, Deschamps has guided Les Bleus to the quarterfinals in 2014, the World Cup title in 2018 and a runner-up finish in Qatar in 2022, with 14 wins in 19 matches.
France’s chances of a deep run look good thanks to a gentler group draw (Norway, Senegal, Iraq) than most of the favorites, and unless France suffer a shock early exit, the former World Cup-winning captain could not only surpass Schön in wins and games managed, but could match Italy’s Vittorio Pozzo (1934, 1938) in becoming only the second manager to win two World Cups
Most total goals in a tournament: 172 (2022)
The World Cup in Qatar saw a record 172 goals across 64 matches involving 32 teams — an average of 2.69 goals per game, surpassing the previous record of 171 goals set in both 1998 and 2014. With the 2026 edition expanding to 48 teams and 104 matches, that record will definitely be broken.
For context, the 1990 World Cup averaged just 2.21 goals per game — still the lowest mark in tournament history — and is widely regarded as one of the most defensive/least entertaining World Cups. Even if the 2026 tournament matched that 1990 average across 104 matches, it would still give you roughly 230 total goals — more than 50 above the current record. If the 2026 World Cup instead mirrors the 2.69 goals-per-game average from Qatar, the tournament would finish with nearly 280 goals, more than 100 above the current record.
In other words, even under an extremely conservative scoring projection, this summer’s World Cup should comfortably surpass the 200-goal mark. In an era increasingly defined by attacking tactics, high pressing and more open matches, the expanded tournament could produce a record that stands for some time — that is unless FIFA expands the competition in the future.
Most players in their 40s
Since the inaugural World Cup in 1930, only seven players age 40 or older have appeared in the tournament. But those appearances were spread across different editions of the competition; things will change dramatically in 2026, and this summer could feature one of the oldest groups of active veterans at a World Cup.
Among the players who could appear at the tournament age 40 or older are Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (41), Germany’s Manuel Neuer (40), Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Edin Dzeko (40), Scotland’s Craig Gordon (43), Croatia’s Luka Modric (40), Uruguay’s Fernando Muslera (40) and Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa (40). Of course, we will wait and see which of these players actually get into a game, but if simply two of them do for a single minute, this World Cup will set a record for the most 40-plus players in a single tournament.
Records that could be broken
Most goals, all time: Miroslav Klose, Germany, 16
Everyone loves scoring goals, but only a select few players can say they were the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
France’s Just Fontaine notched 13 goals in a single tournament in Sweden 1958, with the record broken only three times in the 60-plus years since. West Germany’s Gerd Müller scored his 14th World Cup goal — and the winning one — in the 1974 World Cup final. His record stood for more than three decades before Brazil’s Ronaldo scored his 15th World Cup goal — fittingly in Germany — in 2006. Eight years later, another German reclaimed the record as Klose scored No. 16 during Germany’s famous 7-1 semifinal victory over Brazil at the Maracanã.
Now, for the first time in more than a decade, Klose’s record could genuinely be under threat.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi (13 goals) and France’s Kylian Mbappé (12) are with striking distance, while the likes of Portugal’s Ronaldo (eight), England’s Harry Kane (eight) and Brazil’s Neymar (eight) are also in contention but are long shots because of just how prolific they’d need to be to make up that ground.
Messi and Mbappé combined for five goals between them in the 2022 final — Mbappé scored a hat trick, though Messi and Argentina won the trophy — and both are now closing in on Klose’s mark.
Even if Messi gets one more goal than Mbappé this summer, the France star will have the edge as he’s only 28 (Messi will turn 39 in the group stage) and should still have at least one more World Cup ahead of him.
So how likely will it be? Golden Boot winners (the tournament’s top scorer) typically needed at least five goals to win the award in the past; Messi and Mbappé finished first and second, respectively, four years ago, with Mbappé winning the prize thanks to eight goals vs. Messi’s seven.
Youngest Golden Boot winner: Thomas Müller, Germany, 2010 (age 20)
Another German record could come under serious threat in North America. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Müller announced himself on the global stage by scoring five goals during Germany’s run to a third-place finish. At just 20 years old, the Bayern Munich forward became the youngest player to win the Golden Boot, and also claimed the tournament’s Best Young Player award.
Sixteen years later, there is an obvious contender to challenge that record: Spain’s Lamine Yamal.
Still only 18, Yamal has already established himself as the best young player in the world and one of the sport’s best players. After helping Spain win Euro 2024, the Barcelona forward enters the World Cup as one of the faces of the next generation. If Spain make a deep run, Yamal could find himself in contention not only for the Golden Boot but also for multiple individual awards before even turning 20.
But his fitness will play a major role in whether he gets it done this summer. Yamal suffered a significant hamstring injury late in the club season, and any setback in his recovery could limit his minutes — and his goal-scoring opportunities — during the tournament. (Reports in Spain have suggested he will miss La Roja‘s opening game, if not their second match as well.)
Yamal is not the only teenager capable of challenging Müller’s mark. Lennart Karl, the 18-year-old Germany winger, and Brazil’s 19-year-old Endrick are also among the young attackers who could break Müller’s record. Still, most eyes will be on Yamal. Coming off a season in which he scored a career-high 24 goals in all competitions, the teenager could arrive in North America with a chance to make even more history.
Youngest Golden Ball winner: Ronaldo, Brazil, 1998 (age 21)
When Brazil arrived at the 1998 World Cup as defending champions, much of the attention centered on Ronaldo, and with good reason.
The Inter Milan striker entered the tournament as the reigning Ballon d’Or winner and at just 21 years old, was already viewed as one of the sport’s all-time greats. Although Brazil lost the final to hosts France and Ronaldo struggled during the match, he still won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
More than a quarter century later, no player under the age of 21 has managed to replicate Ronaldo’s impact at a World Cup. Since 1998, the award has largely gone to experienced veterans at the peaks of their careers, with winners like goalkeeper Oliver Kahn (Germany), playmakers Zinedine Zidane (France) and Modric (Croatia), and elite South American forwards such as Messi and Uruguay’s Diego Forlán.
Except for Messi in 2014, every Golden Ball winner since Ronaldo has been over the age of 30, reinforcing how hard it is for a young player to dominate a World Cup tournament. That’s what makes Yamal such a fascinating possibility heading into 2026.
Other young stars who could make a similar impact: Karl, Endrick and France winger Désiré Doué are all viewed as potential breakout stars, while there are younger midfielders who could emerge as defining figures this summer. Portugal’s João Neves has already become a key player in the midfield of back-to-back UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, and England’s Kobbie Mainoo and Argentina’s Nico Paz could thrive if things break right for their teams.
Records that are highly unlikely to be broken
Longest-range goal: David Villa, Spain vs. Chile (2010), from 41.4 meters (136 feet)
This is one of those records where you might think: “Surely this could be broken?” But it’s more complicated than that.
Since 1966, only six World Cup goals have been scored from 35 meters (115 feet) or more. One of them, and one of the most iconic, was Ronaldinho’s goal for Brazil against England in their 2002 quarterfinal from 37.6 meters (123 feet), catching David Seaman off his line. That stood as the longest-range World Cup goal until Villa broke the record in 2010 against Chile.
That’s not to say long-range goals happen only because of goalkeeper mistakes, but there’s a reason the record has remained untouched since 2010 even as overall tournament scoring has increased. Despite the 2022 edition producing the most goals in World Cup history, it had only the eighth-most shots on target (since 1966) with 517. That is far below the record of 649 shots on target at France 1998, which produced only one fewer goal.
These numbers reflect how modern soccer has evolved. Teams today focus far more on transitions, creating high xG (expected goals) chances and generating cleaner opportunities inside the box rather than relying on random long-range efforts. There is also a greater emphasis on set pieces, cutbacks and penalties than in previous World Cups.
Of course, the expanded 48-team format in 2026 could create more mismatches, which might lead to stronger teams generating more shots against weaker defenses. So yes, Villa’s record could be broken, but it probably would require a perfect combination of circumstances to happen.
Doable? Yes. Likely? Probably not.
Records that will not be broken
Youngest goal scorer: Pelé (17 years, 239 days; Brazil vs. Wales, 1958)
Not every World Cup record will be under threat in 2026. Fontaine scoring 13 goals in a single tournament in 1958, or Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary becoming the oldest player to appear at a World Cup at 45 years and 161 days in 2018, seem untouchable. The same is true of Pelé’s mark, simply because no player younger than he was when he scored in 1958 is expected to feature in 2026.
The closest — and perhaps unluckiest — contender is Mexico’s Gilberto Mora. If he scores against South Africa on June 11, he will be 17 years and 240 days old, missing Pelé’s record by only one day. Unless another generational talent emerges at exactly the right moment — and is trusted enough to feature prominently at a World Cup — Pelé’s record could remain untouched.
Biggest win: Hungary 10-1 El Salvador, 1982
Pop quiz: How many times has a team scored double digits in a World Cup match?
It has happened only once in nearly 100 years.
Hungary’s 10-1 demolition of El Salvador at the 1982 World Cup in Spain remains both the largest margin of victory in tournament history and the only time a team has scored 10 goals in a single World Cup match. At first glance, the expansion to 48 teams in 2026 might suggest that the record could be vulnerable. More nations usually means a wider gap in quality between the strongest and weakest teams.
That doesn’t mean heavy defeats will disappear entirely. Routs are part of every World Cup, and Spain’s 7-0 victory over Costa Rica four years ago showed how ruthless elite teams can still be. But scoring 10 goals in a single match still feels very unlikely, even in an expanded tournament. The same can also be said for the highest-scoring match in World Cup history, Austria’s 7-5 victory over Switzerland in 1954.
In short, there will be goals this summer. Just probably not all at once.
