Who holds the World Cup records ahead of the 2026 tournament?
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, we look at the historical record holders for wins, goals, and minutes played in the tournament's history.
Фото: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0 br / Автор: Danilo Borges/Portal da Copa
The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is already set to be the largest in history with 48 participating teams. This marks a 50% increase from the 32-team format that had been in place since 1998. As the competition nears, the focus turns to the record books and which historic marks could be challenged in the coming weeks.
Brazil leads the way with five World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002). Germany and Italy follow with four trophies each, while reigning champions Argentina have three. France and Uruguay remain on two titles apiece.
In the scoring charts, former Germany striker Miroslav Klose holds the all-time record with 16 goals. Brazil's Ronaldo sits in second place with 15, followed by Gerd Muller with 14. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are currently at 13 and 12 goals respectively, making them the primary contenders to challenge Klose's record during the upcoming tournament.
Lionel Messi also holds the record for the most minutes played in World Cup history, accumulating 2,314 minutes across 26 matches. He leads Italy's Paolo Maldini and Germany's Lothar Matthaus in this category. Meanwhile, Brazil remains the most prolific nation in the tournament's history, having scored 237 goals.