The FIFA World Cup is an international soccer competition held every four years. Commonly referred to as the World Cup, the event attracts fans from all over the globe in a testament to the popularity of soccer (which is called “football” throughout much of the world).
The FIFA World Cup 2026TM begins on June 11 and will be jointly hosted by sixteen cities across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Billions of people across the globe are expected to watch the games in person and/or tune in to see the action on television. As this beloved and highly anticipated global tournament begins, fans may be curious about which countries and players have etched their names in World Cup history since the event began in 1930.
• Country with the most World Cup titles: Brazil. The BrazilianteamhasfiveWorld Cup titles to its credit, having won its most recent tournament in 2002.
• Country with the most WorldCupFinalappearances without a win: The Netherlands. The Netherlands has playedintheWorldCupFinal three times in 1974, 1978 and 2010, but lost all three games.
• Country with the most World Cup Final losses: Germany. While the Netherlands has lost three World Cup finals and never won, Germany has lost four such games in the history of the tournament. However, Germany has won the World Cup four times, earning the nation’s most recent gold medal in 2014.
• Country with the most medals: Germany. While Brazil has the most Gold medals,Germanyhasearned 12 gold, silver and bronze medals in the history of the tournament. Brazil is second with nine total medals.
• Individual with the most World Cup goals: Miroslav Klose, Germany. The German striker Klose scored his record-breaking sixteenth and final World Cup goal in Germany’s 2014 semifinal victory.
• Individual with the most World Cup Final goals: Kylian Mbappé,France.Mbappé has four World Cup Final goals to his credit, including a 2022 hat trick in which he became the second player in history to score three goals in a single final fixture (Geoff Hurst of the United Kingdom scored three in the 1966 World Cup Final). Mbappé is just 27 years old, so it’s possible the young Frenchman adds to his record this summer.
• Individual with the most goals scored in a single tournament: Just Fontaine, France. The French striker Fontaine was still roughly two months shy of turning 25 when he scored 13 goals acrosssixmatchesinthe1958 FIFA World Cup.
• Individual with the most all-time World Cup appear- ances: Lionel Messi, Argentina. Messi, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, has appeared in 26 World Cup matches throughout his legendary career. At press time, Messi, who will celebrate his 39th birthday roughly two weeks after the 2026 World Cup begins, had not decided if he will play for Argentina this summer.
These are just some of the notable team and individual records fans can ponder as they enjoy what promises to be another thrilling World Cup in the summer of 2026.