With the 2026 World Cup, the number of football world championships will reach 23. The planet's most prestigious football tournament attracts attention not only with its champions but also with records that have remained unchanged or have been updated over the years.
Medianews.az reports that Oxu.Az has conducted an interesting research about these records that have passed into football history.
The country that has hosted the World Cup the most times is Mexico. The North American representative is a record holder in this category by hosting the World Cup in 1970, 1986, and 2026.
The constant participant of the World Cups is Brazil. The South American giant is the only team that has participated in all tournaments from the very first World Cup held in 1930 until 2026 included. Thus, Brazil holds the record with 23 World Cup appearances.
The most titled team in the World Cup history is also Brazil. The "Sambas" have celebrated championship victories in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002. Brazil is also the team with the most wins (76) and the most goals scored (237) in World Cup history.
Germany, on the other hand, is recorded in history as the team that has played the most finals. Germans have qualified for the decisive match in 1954, 1966, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 2002, and 2014.
The biggest score victory in a single World Cup match belongs to the Hungarian national team. Hungary defeated El Salvador 10:1 in the 1982 World Cup held in Spain, recording the largest margin of victory in tournament history.
Looking at individual records, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have entered history as the first footballers to participate in six World Cups. Both stars have played in the World Cups of 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026.
The player who has appeared in the most World Cup matches is also Messi. The captain of the Argentina national team has played in a total of 26 matches in World Cups.
The most prolific scorer in the history of the tournament is former German forward Miroslav Klose. He scored 16 goals in World Cups.
The record for the most goals scored by a player in a single World Cup is still held by the Frenchman Just Fontaine. He set a historic record by scoring 13 goals in 6 matches in the 1958 World Cup held in Sweden.
The player who scored the most goals in a single World Cup match is Russia's forward Oleg Salenko. He set this record by scoring 5 goals against Cameroon in the 1994 World Cup held in the USA.
The player with the most World Cup titles among footballers is the legendary Pelé. The Brazilian footballer became world champion in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
Among coaches, the record belongs to former Germany national team head coach Helmut Schön. He managed his team in 25 World Cup matches and achieved 16 victories.
The coach with the most World Cup championships in history is Vittorio Pozzo. The Italian specialist led his national team to World Cup victories in 1934 and 1938.
Whether some of these records will be renewed at the upcoming 2026 World Cup is one of the main issues football fans are eagerly awaiting.