Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo begin record sixth World Cups this month, two of twenty milestones that could fall at the biggest tournament ever staged.
Both men made their final 26 player squads, and having played at every edition since 2006, they will become the first players to take the field at six World Cups, according to a records compilation by sports data outlet ActionNetwork.com. Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa adds a wrinkle as the third player ever named to six squads, though only the Argentine and the Portuguese have actually played in five. Ronaldo, at 41 the second oldest player at the tournament behind Scotland’s Craig Gordon, can claim a record of his own outright: a goal in 2026 would make him the first man to score at six different World Cups, having found the net at every one since 2006. Messi, 38, carries a hamstring worry into Argentina’s opening match against Algeria in Kansas City on Tuesday.
The Argentine captain already owns most of the ledger he is about to extend. His 26 matches and 2,314 minutes are both records, as are his 19 games wearing the armband, and three group matches would push his appearance count to 29 before the knockout rounds begin. He has assisted at five straight editions and, on eight career assists, sits within range of the all time mark, which stands at nine under strict modern counting through Germany’s Fritz Walter, or ten under the traditional tally credited to Pelé.
The scoring crown is the headline chase. Miroslav Klose’s 16 goals have led the World Cup books since 2014, and both Messi, on 13, and France’s Kylian Mbappé, on 12, arrive close enough to tie or pass him. Mbappé has a second slice of history available: having scored in the 2018 and 2022 finals, another goal in this year’s decider would make him the first player to score in three World Cup finals, and consecutive ones at that.
Among nations, Argentina’s prize is the rarest. Victory would make the champions of 2022 only the third country to win back to back titles, after Italy in the 1930s and Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and the first to do it in 64 years.
Brazil chase a record extending sixth title while padding records they already hold for appearances, this being their 23rd, as well as matches played, wins, goals and, less gloriously, red cards. Germany could equal Brazil’s five titles, stretch their record to a ninth final, and add to less wanted marks as the nation with the most second and third place finishes and the most goals conceded. A title for England, 60 years after 1966, or Uruguay, 76 years after 1950, would obliterate Italy’s record 44 year wait between championships. France, beaten finalists in 2022 after winning in 2018, would join Germany and Brazil as the only nations to reach three consecutive finals. Mexico hold the record for most defeats, England for most draws, and Brazil, France and Germany sit level on four tournaments each as the competition’s top scoring nation, a tie one of them could finally break.
One more drought is in triple jeopardy. No host has lifted the trophy since France in 1998, and with the United States, Canada and Mexico sharing duties, three nations get a shot at ending the 28 year wait. Mexico opened the hosts’ account on Thursday with victory over South Africa at the Azteca; the other records have five and a half weeks to fall.
