At the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals, Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez, and Jude Bellingham etched their names into the record books with outstanding performances, while several historic milestones were also achieved during the tournament.
Argentina booked their place in the semi-finals with a 3-1 extra-time victory over Switzerland, while England defeated Norway 2-1 to secure a spot in the last four.
This is the first FIFA World Cup since the introduction of the FIFA World Ranking in 1992 in which all four top-seeded teams have reached the semi-finals. It is also only the third time in World Cup history that all four semi-finalists are former world champions, following the 1970 and 1990 tournaments.
Lionel Messi has created 20 shot-ending passes at the 2026 World Cup so far, becoming the first player since 1966 to achieve that feat in three different World Cup editions.
Messi also provided an assist from a corner for Alexis Mac Allister’s goal, taking his total World Cup assists to 10—the most by any player since 1966. In doing so, he surpassed Diego Maradona’s record of eight World Cup assists. Notably, it was Messi’s first-ever assist from a corner in World Cup history.
The Argentine captain also became one of only two players to record 10 or more goal contributions in both the 2022 and 2026 World Cups. The only other player to achieve the feat is France’s Kylian Mbappé.
Meanwhile, Julián Álvarez scored his fourth knockout-stage goal from just five career World Cup goals, equaling Diego Maradona’s record. Only Lionel Messi has scored more knockout-stage goals for Argentina in World Cup history, with seven.
Argentina also became the first team to score three or more goals in four consecutive World Cup matches, matching the longest such streak in tournament history. The team has also scored three goals from corners at this World Cup, equaling the highest total by any team in a single edition.
England’s young midfielder Jude Bellingham also reached a remarkable milestone, joining Pelé among the youngest players in World Cup history to produce such influential performances on football’s biggest stage.
So far, eight knockout-stage matches at the 2026 World Cup have gone to extra time, equaling the record for the most in a single World Cup edition. The same number was recorded in the 1990 and 2014 tournaments, although both featured significantly fewer knockout-stage matches than the expanded 2026 competition.
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