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2026 World Cup group stage completed with historic records
The group stage of the 2026 World Cup witnessed unforgettable moments such as Egypt ending its 92-year win drought, the record of 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, and new achievements by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Egypt's historic win after 92 years
As the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup concludes, the first part of the tournament witnessed many historic records and firsts. The Egyptian national team secured its first ever win in tournament history, exactly 92 years after its first World Cup match in 1934.
Trailing 1-0 against New Zealand, the 'Pharaohs' came back to win 3-1 with goals from Ziko, Mohamed Salah, and Trezeguet. The victory came in Egypt's ninth match across four different World Cup appearances.
Advocaat breaks record as oldest manager
Another remarkable statistic of the tournament occurred among managers. Dutchman Dick Advocaat, coaching Curaçao, became the oldest manager to lead a team in a World Cup at 78 years and 271 days.
Advocaat broke the previous record held by German Otto Rehhagel, who was 71 years and 317 days old when he led Greece against Argentina in 2010. South Africa manager Hugo Broos and Czech Republic manager Miroslav Koubek, both 74, also equalled this record during the opening match.
Dembele's hat-trick in 32 minutes
Ousmane Dembele, playing for France, scored a hat-trick in just 32 minutes, the second fastest in World Cup history. The record belongs to Austrian Erich Probst, who scored three goals in 24 minutes in 1954.
The other two players to score three goals in a group stage match were Lionel Messi for Argentina against Algeria and Jonathan David for Canada against Qatar.
Young stars and goalkeeper heroics
Mexican Gilberto Mora, at 17 years and 240 days, became the sixth-youngest player to participate in the tournament, while Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room pulled off a miracle. Room made 16 saves against Ecuador, earning his team a historic goalless draw.
This performance was the highest number of saves recorded in 90 minutes and equaled the absolute record set by Tim Howard for the USA against Belgium in 2014, which came after extra time.
Perfect records and biggest win
Argentina, France, and Mexico finished their groups with nine points each, showing they are the strongest title contenders. The biggest win of the group stage was by Germany, who defeated Curaçao 7-1, scoring six goals in 50 minutes.
New records from Ronaldo and Messi
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six different World Cups. The 41-year-old Ronaldo also became the second-oldest player to score in the tournament, after Cameroon's Roger Milla.
Argentinian Lionel Messi leads the tournament scoring chart with six goals, leaving behind stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius Junior, and Erling Haaland.
Assist leaders and defensive walls
Three players stand out in the assist chart: Brazil's Bruno Guimaraes, Sweden's Alexander Isak, and France's Michael Olise, all with three assists sharing the top spot.
In defense, Spain and Mexico stood out as the two teams advancing to the round of 16 without conceding a goal. Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon, with 430 consecutive minutes without conceding, approached the historic record of Italian Walter Zenga.
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