World Cup 2026: 20 records that could be broken by Messi, Ronaldo, others

Paris Saint-Germain's Argentine forward Lionel Messi (L) walks past Riyadh All-Star's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (R) during the Riyadh Season Cup football match between the Riyadh All-Stars and Paris Saint-Germain at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on January 19, 2023. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, several long-standing records could be broken by some of football’s biggest stars and nations. According to data compiled by ActionNetwork.com, the tournament could see new milestones set by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France and other leading football nations. Here are 20 records that could fall at the 2026 World Cup. 1 Messi or Mbappe could challenge Klose’s goal record Argentina captain Lionel Messi and France forward Kylian Mbappe could tie or surpass the World Cup goals record currently held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 goals. Messi has 13 World Cup goals, while Mbappe has 12. 2. Ronaldo could score in six World Cups Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo could become the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments. He is already the only player to have scored in five editions. 3. Messi could extend appearance record Messi currently holds the record for the most World Cup matches played with 26 and is expected to add to that tally in 2026. 4. Messi and Ronaldo could become six-time World Cup participants Both players could become the first footballers to feature in six World Cup tournaments, having appeared in every edition since 2006. 5. Messi could add to his assist records Messi has recorded assists in five different World Cups and could extend that record. He could also challenge the overall assist record depending on the counting method used. 6. Messi could increase his minutes-played record The Argentine legend already holds the record for most minutes played at the World Cup with 2,314 minutes. 7. Messi could extend captaincy record Messi has captained Argentina in 19 World Cup matches, more than any player in history. 8. Mbappe could make final history The French star could become the first player to score in three separate World Cup finals after scoring in the 2018 and 2022 finals. 9. Argentina could retain the World Cup The reigning champions could become only the third nation to win consecutive World Cup titles, after Italy and Brazil. 10. Brazil could increase its title record Brazil remains the most successful nation in World Cup history with five titles and could extend that record to six. R