The 2026 FIFA World Cup ended with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 after extra time to win the title for the second time in the country’s history. The tournament, the first to feature 48 teams, also rewrote several entries in the record books, delivering one of the highest-scoring editions in decades while producing remarkable individual and team achievements. According to statistics released by FIFA on Wednesday, here are some of the biggest records and milestones from the tournament.
Highest goals-per-game average in more than 50 years The tournament produced 308 goals in 104 matches, an average of 2.96 goals per game. That is the highest scoring average at a World Cup since the 1970 edition, which averaged 2.97 goals per match. It also exceeded the averages recorded at Qatar 2022 (2.69), Russia 2018 (2.64) and Brazil 2014 (2.67).
The all-time record remains the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, where matches averaged 5.38 goals. Record number of prolific scorers The expanded format also produced a record number of prolific goalscorers, with six players netting six goals or more. They are: Kylian Mbappé – 10 goals Lionel Messi – 8 goals Jude Bellingham – 7 goals Erling Haaland – 7 goals Ousmane Dembélé – 6 goals Harry Kane – 6 goals Mbappé breaks multiple World Cup records France captain Kylian Mbappé finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals, becoming the first player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot at two different tournaments after also claiming the award at Qatar 2022.
The Real Madrid forward also became the first footballer since Germany’s Gerd Müller at the 1970 World Cup to score 10 goals in a single edition. Only France’s Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals in 1958, and Hungary’s Sándor Kocsis, who netted 11 in 1954, have recorded more goals in a single World Cup. Mbappé becomes the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer One of the tournament’s biggest talking points was the race between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé to become the competition’s highest scorer.
Messi entered the tournament with 13 World Cup goals, while Mbappé started on 12. Both surpassed Miroslav Klose’s previous record of 16 goals, with Messi reaching 21 during Argentina’s journey to the final. Mbappé eventually claimed the all-time record after scoring twice in France’s third-place victory over England, ending the tournament with 22 World Cup goals.
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