Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal feature as FIFA outlines the statistics behind Spain and Argentina’s respective paths to the FIFA World Cup 2026 final
648
Rodri has completed 648 passes in North America – the most ever registered by a player at a World Cup. The 30-year-old broke his own record: 638 at Qatar 2022.
The next best was also set by a Spain midfielder, with Xavi making 599 successful passes in 2010. Rodri’s closest challengers for completed passes at this tournament are team-mates Pau Cubarsi (547) and Aymeric Laporte (533).
37
Spain are unbeaten in 37 matches – a joint-record in men’s international football. Since a 1-0 loss to Colombia in March 2024, La Roja have won 27 and drawn 10 games. Italy went 37 outings without defeat from 2018 to ’21, before Argentina repeated the feat between 2019 and ’22.
30
Spain winger Lamine Yamal has completed the most dribbles at this tournament: 30. He is followed by France’s Kylian Mbappe (26), Brazil’s Vinicius Junior (23), Argentina’s Lionel Messi (22) and Belgium’s Jeremy Doku (21).
Diego Maradona holds the record for the most successful take-ons in one edition: 53 at Mexico 1986. Messi has the most this century: 46 at Brazil 2014.
19
Argentina have scored 19 goals – 2.71 per game on average – at these global finals. It is the most by one team at a World Cup since Brazil struck the same total in 1970, and has been bettered by only four teams in the past tournaments: Brazil with 22 goals in 1950, France with 23 goals in 1958, West Germany with 25 goals in 1954, and Hungary with 27 at the same edition.
Spain have scored 13 times. It is two more than their personal best at a World Cup, inspired by Emilio Butragueno in 1986, and five more than they managed in their title-winning campaign in 2010.
13
Argentina have scored at least two goals in 13 successive games – a World Cup record. The last time they didn’t score twice in a game was in a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their Qatar 2022 opener. The Albiceleste have also been on target in 16 consecutive outings – a sequence surpassed by only Hungary (17 from 1934 to ’62), Germany (18 from 1986 to ’98), Germany (18 from 1934 to ’58) and Brazil (18 from 1930 to ’58).
8
Lionel Messi has scored eight goals at this tournament. The other men with more in one World Cup are Eusebio with nine for Portugal in 1966, Ademir de Menezes with nine for Brazil in 1950, Gerd Muller with 10 for West Germany in 1970, Sandor Kocsis with 11 for Hungary in 1954, and Just Fontaine with 13 for France in 1958.
7
Argentina have emerged triumphant in all seven outings to equal the record, set by Brazil in 2002, for the most victories in one World Cup. Lionel Scaloni’s side could become only the fifth to lift the trophy with a 100-per-cent record after Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1938, and Brazil in 1970 and 2002.
6
Unai Simon has kept six clean sheets in seven matches – the most ever registered in a single World Cup. Seven goalkeepers had managed five: the Netherlands’ Jan Jongbloed in 1974, Italy’s Walter Zenga in 1990, Brazil’s Taffarel in 1994, France’s Fabien Barthez in 1998, Germany’s Oliver Kahn in 2002, Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon in 2006 and Spain’s Iker Casillas in 2010.
Simon, who recorded a shutout in his last appearance at Qatar 2022, set a new record for not conceding in the World Cup: 650 minutes until he was finally beaten by Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere in the quarter-finals. Italy’s Walter Zenga had held it at 517 minutes.
Simon also boasts the best save percentage of every goalkeeper at this tournament: 93. Spain, who have only let in one goal, are out to set a new record for the fewest goals conceded by a triumphant team. France, Italy and Spain let in two apiece en route to glory in 1998, 2006 and 2010, respectively. Argentina have conceded seven goals. The last team to let in more than six and reach a World Cup final were Brazil in 1998.
5
Argentina have scored five goals from outside the penalty area – the joint-most by one team in a World Cup. Lionel Messi got two of them, with Giovani Lo Celso, Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez grabbing one apiece. Messi’s goals saw him outrank Brazil legend Rivellino and become the player to bag most World Cup goals from outside the box.
5
Mikel Oyarzabal has scored five times at this tournament, equalling the Spanish record for a World Cup. Emilio Butragueno got five goals at Mexico 1986 and David Villa followed suit at South Africa 2010. Oyarzabal and Villa share the Roja record for goal contributions at one edition at six.
4
Lionel Messi has registered four assists at this tournament. His first extended his record for assisting in the most editions to six. Marc Cucurella and Dani Olmo are Spain’s leading assisters on two apiece.
