Photograph by Alberto Estévez, showing Mexican national team goalkeeper Guillermo ‘Memo’ Ochoa at the Qatar World Cup in an archive image from November 21, 2022. EFE
Madrid, June 4 (EFE) – The 2026 World Cup presents 10 tournament records up for grabs, such as Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s 17 wins and 16 goals, with Lionel Messi looming as a threat, or the five World Cups played by Mexicans Antonio Carbajal, Andrés Guardado, Rafael Márquez, and Lothar Matthäus, records that Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will surpass when they make their debuts in the North American World Cup. Alongside them, Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is heading to his sixth World Cup, although he has only participated in four.
These are ten records that can be broken at the 2026 World Cup:
1 – The five World Cups of Messi, Cristiano, Carbajal, Guardado, Márquez and Matthaus
Currently tied with Mexicans Antonio Carbajal, Andrés Guardado, and Rafa Márquez, and German Lothar Matthäus, with five World Cup appearances each, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi will set a new and unparalleled record of six World Cups when they compete in the tournament this summer in North America. Meanwhile, Guillermo ‘Memo’ Ochoa is attending his sixth World Cup, but he did not play in Germany 2006 or South Africa 2010.
2 – Klose’s 17 victories, with Messi lurking
Germany’s Miroslav Klose has amassed 17 victories in his 24 World Cup appearances, from Japan and Korea 2002 to Brazil 2014, including Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010. He trails Argentina’s Lionel Messi by just one win, a record that Messi will surpass once his team wins one of their matches in the 2026 tournament, where they face Algeria, Austria, and Jordan in the group stage. Their opening match is on June 17 against Algeria.
3 – Klose’s 16 goals, under threat from Messi and Mbappé
At Brazil 2014, Klose surpassed Ronaldo Nazario as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, with 16 goals that are now under threat, pursued by two record-breakers: Argentina’s Lionel Messi, with 13 goals before his last World Cup, and France’s Kylian Mbappé, with 12 at 27 years old. England’s Harry Kane and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo have each scored eight goals so far.
4 – Batistuta’s two ‘hat tricks’ that Kane, Mbappé, Cristiano and Gonçalo Ramos also want
Argentine Gabriel Batistuta, the Albiceleste’s all-time leading scorer, is the only player in World Cup history to have scored three goals in two matches. This feat is being pursued by four of the forwards who will be present at the 2026 tournaments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico: England’s Harry Kane, France’s Kylian Mbappé, and Portugal’s Gonçalo Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo.
5 – Cafu’s 3 finals with Brazil, the expectation of Messi and Mbappé
No one has played in as many World Cup finals—three (1994, 1998, and 2002)—as the formidable Brazilian full-back, with France’s Kylian Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi close behind, each having played in two finals. The Real Madrid striker played in the 2018 and 2022 finals, while the Inter Miami forward did so in 2014 and 2022.
6 – Shilton and Barthez’s 10-game unbeaten streaks are within Courtois’ reach
The records held by England’s Peter Shilton and France’s Fabien Barthez, the goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in World Cup finals, are separated by 26 years. Shilton’s record stands at 1990, while Barthez’s is set at 2006. That’s a difference of ten. Now, Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois aims to surpass them, having already achieved seven clean sheets before the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with his team facing Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand in the group stage.
7 – Helmut Schon’s 25 matches, Didier Deschamps’ aspiration
At the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, the German coach set a record that still stands for all other managers who have led a team in the tournament. His 25 matches remain unmatched. Didier Deschamps, at the helm of France, could surpass it if he manages to guide ‘Les Bleus’ to at least the semifinals, having already managed 19 matches in the World Cup.
8 – Pepe’s goal at 39 years old, exposed against Cristiano, Modric and Dzeko
Portuguese centre Pepe is the oldest goalscorer, at 39, in a World Cup qualifier, but his record may now be just a matter of time, because his compatriot and friend Cristiano Ronaldo, at 41; Croatian Luka Modric, at 40; and Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko, also at 40, are poised to surpass him.
9 – Rehaggel’s 71 years will be surpassed first by Koubek and then by Advocaat
Otto Rehaggel’s record as Greece’s manager, which he set in 2010, remains unbroken as the oldest coach to lead a team in the World Cup finals. He did so at 71 years old. Barring any surprises, this record will be surpassed in the USA, Canada, and Mexico when Miroslav Koubek, at 74, takes charge of the Czech Republic in their opening Group A match against South Korea in Guadalajara on June 11.
The record will last the Czech for three days. On June 14, against Germany, the Dutchman Dick Advocaat, who returned to the Curazao bench at the end of May, will become the oldest, at 78 years old.
10 – The 11 games from Denilson’s bench that Rashford could reach
Denilson, the Brazilian winger for Betis, played twelve matches in the World Cup, eleven of them as a substitute. This is another competition record. No one has played so many matches as a substitute in this tournament. England’s Marcus Rashford, on loan at Barcelona from Manchester United last season, now has nine appearances as a substitute. EFE
Iñaki Dufour
