The FIFA World Cup in 22 records: most goals, most wins and the players who made history

There are just days to go before Mexico and South Africa kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Aztec Stadium in Mexico City. This tournament promises to be the biggest in the competition’s history, with a record 48 countries set to do battle in the USA, Canada and Mexico to decide the best team on the planet. And what better way to get in the mood than with our World Cup history? We’ve selected one record from each of the 22 tournaments to have taken place so far – who will produce the standout moment from 2026 to join them?

1930: Uruguay

The first FIFA World Cup tournament kicked off on 13 July 1930, with a 4–1 victory for France over Mexico in Montevideo. Thirteen teams entered the tournament: hosts and reigning Olympic football champions Uruguay became the first-ever World Cup winners, following a 4–2 defeat of Argentina in the final.

1934: Italy 

Teams had to qualify for the first time, and champions Uruguay boycotted the tournament altogether. Just 17 games were contested – the fewest matches at a FIFA World Cup tournament. Hosts Italy defeated Czechoslovakia 2–1 in the final after extra time.

1938: France

France had high hopes of becoming the third hosts to triumph on home soil, only to run into defending champions Italy in the quarter-finals. The Azzurri won 3–1 and went on to defeat Hungary in the final. Having masterminded consecutive triumphs, Vittorio Pozzo claimed the record for the most consecutive FIFA World Cup wins by a manager.

1950: Brazil

The World Cup returned after a 12-year absence and was held in a round-robin format, rather a knockout tournament. A crowd of 173,850 came to the Maracana Stadium to watch the final game between hosts Brazil and Uruguay – the largest attendance at a FIFA World Cup match. But the home fans were left devastated when Uruguay sprung a surprise 2–1 win to claim the trophy for the second time.

1954: Switzerland

The 1954 tournament saw a blizzard of goals, with 140 scored in just 26 matches – the highest goal average at a FIFA World Cup tournament (5.38 per game). Hungary’s so-called “Golden Team” were responsible for 27 of them. But they lost the final 3–2 to West Germany in one of the great World Cup shocks, having crushed them 8–3 in the group stage.

1958: Sweden

French striker Just Fontaine played havoc with defences in Sweden, scoring the most goals at a FIFA World Cup tournament – 13, in six matches. He hit a hat-trick against Paraguay and scored four against West Germany in the third-place play-off. Amazingly, Fontaine only made it into the French starting line-up due to injuries to their frontline strikers. 

1962: Chile

Reigning champions Brazil overcame the loss of Pele to injury – in his place, scheming winger Garrincha won both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot. The Seleção defeated Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final to become only the second nation, after Italy in 1938, to defend their title – the most consecutive wins of the FIFA World Cup. 

1966: England

In the climatic game of the 1966 tournament, England’s Geoff Hurst hit a perfect hat-trick, netting with his right foot, left foot and head. He scored with the last kick of the game to seal a 4–2 victory over West Germany. Hurst’s treble also bagged him the record for the most goals in a FIFA World Cup final. It was equalled by French superstar Kylian Mbappé against Argentina in 2022. 

1970: Mexico

In an exhilarating tournament played at high altitude, Brazil proved unstoppable, winning all six of their games and brushing Italy aside 4–1 in the final. Jairzinho scored in every match while Pelé recorded his third tournament triumph – the most wins of the FIFA World Cup by a player.

1974: West Germany

Hosts West Germany overcame the Netherlands 2–1 in the final despite conceding a goal after just 90 seconds. The previous winner’s trophy, the Jules Rimet Cup, had been given to Brazil in honour of their third tournament triumph in 1970. In its place, West Germany became the first winners of the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

1978: Argentina 

This tournament was the last World Cup to feature 16 teams. The Netherlands suffered final heartbreak for the second time in consecutive tournaments, going down 3–1 to hosts Argentina, who became champions for the first time. Skipper Daniel Passarella became the youngest captain to win the FIFA World Cup, aged 25 years 31 days.

1982: Spain

Northern Ireland and Manchester United star Norman Whiteside became the youngest player at the FIFA World Cup when he lined up against Yugoslavia at the age of 17 years 41 days. The game ended 0–0. Whiteside took the record from none other than Pelé. 

1986: Mexico

The World Cup returned to Mexico, just 16 years after its previous visit. And, once again, the fans came out in force. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City drew the largest attendance at a FIFA World Cup Final – 114,600 people. They saw a Maradona-inspired Argentina defeat West Germany 3–2.

1990: Italy

Defences were on top at Italia ’90, with 115 goals scored in 52 matches – the lowest goal average at a FIFA World Cup tournament (2.21). West Germany beat Argentina 1–0 in the final, courtesy of an Andreas Brehme penalty. Argentina managed only one shot on target. 

1994: USA

Striker Oleg Salenko scored five times during Russia’s 6–1 win over Cameroon in Stanford, California, claiming the record for the most goals in a FIFA World Cup match. Russia failed to qualify from the group stage, however, and Salenko remains the only player to win the Golden Boot without playing in the knockout stages (he shared the award with Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoichkov). The Cameroon game was only Salenko’s eighth appearance for Russia – incredibly, he never played another international game.

Read about more record-breaking athletes in our Sports and Fitness section.

1998: France

In the group stages, Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta equalled the record for the most FIFA World Cup hat-tricks – two – with a treble against Jamaica. He matched the feat of Sandor Kocsis in 1954, Just Fontaine in 1958, and West Germany’s Gerd Müller in 1970. “Batigol” remains the only player to date to have scored hat-tricks at different tournaments, having also put three past Greece in 1994. 

2002: Japan/South Korea

Led by the attacking trio of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Romario, Brazil romped to the title in the first World Cup to be held in Asia. It was the Seleção’s fifth triumph, following previous wins in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994. This is the most wins of the FIFA World Cup, with Germany and Italy one behind on four. 

2006: Germany

A total of 28 players were given their marching orders in 64 matches – the most red cards at a FIFA World Cup tournament. Four came in one game alone: the so-called “Battle of Nuremburg”, between Portugal and the Netherlands. The most high-profile dismissal came in the final, when France’s Zinedine Zidane was ordered off for a headbutt on Italy’s Marco Materazzi. 

2010: South Africa

The World Cup was held on African soil for the first time, with the vuvuzela horn providing a distinctive soundtrack in the stands. During Greece’s final group game against Argentina on 22 June, manager Otto Rehhagel became the oldest coach at the FIFA World Cup, aged 71 years 317 years. 

2014: Brazil

Germany claimed the World Cup for the fourth time, defeating Argentina 1–0 with an extra-time goal by Mario Götze. In the semi-finals, Germany had produced an extraordinary display against hosts Brazil, hammering them 7–1. Striker Miroslav Klose netted to claim the outright record for the most FIFA World Cup goals, with 16.

2018: Russia

Goalkeeper Essam El Hadary started Egypt’s final group-stage match against Saudi Arabia at the age of 45 years 161 days to become the oldest FIFA World Cup player. He saved a first-half penalty – the first African goalkeeper to do so – but couldn’t prevent Egypt slipping to a 2–1 defeat. It was El Hadary’s 159th and final international appearance – and his only one at the World Cup.

2022: Qatar

Argentina talisman Lionel Messi led his side to an emotional triumph in Qatar, winning the FIFA Player of the Match award in all four of their knockout games. He struck twice in the final against France and also converted in the penalty shootout that followed their 3–3 draw. Alongside his winner’s medal, Messi added the record for the most FIFA World Cup matches played – 26.

Header image: Pele lifts the Jules Rimet Trophy at the 1970 World Cup after Brazil defeated Italy 4-1. Credit: Colorsport/Shutterstock