At the end of the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez and Jude Bellingham set many new records with their impressive performances, while many unique honors were established in the history of the tournament.
Argentina defeated Switzerland 1-3 in extra time and entered the semi-finals, while England defeated Norway 1-2 and reached the last four.
This is the first World Cup since the inception of the FIFA rankings in 1992 that the top four teams have managed to reach the semi-finals. Also, it is only the third time in the history of the World Cup that all four semi-finalists are former world champions, previously this honor was seen in the 1970 and 1990 World Cups.
Lionel Messi has so far blocked 20 passes at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first player since 1966 to achieve the feat in three different editions of the World Cup.
Messi set up Alexis McAllister’s corner to take his tally to 10 World Cup assists, the most by any player since 1966. In this way, he surpassed Diego Maradona (8 assists). It is worth noting that this was Messi’s first corner assist in the World Cup as well.
Argentina advanced to the semi-finals after beating Switzerland in a thriller
Ayeza Khan’s daughter’s emotional message to Lionel Messi on Argentina win goes viral
Messi also became one of only two players to score 10 or more goals at the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, with France’s Kylian Mbappe joining him on that list.
Julian Alvarez, on the other hand, scored four of his five goals in the knockout stages in his World Cup career, equaling Diego Maradona’s record. Only Lionel Messi is ahead of him on that list, having scored seven goals in the knockout stages.
Argentina became the team to score three or more goals in four consecutive matches, the longest streak in World Cup history. The team also scored three goals from corners in this World Cup, the most of any team.
On the other hand, England’s young midfielder Jude Bellingham was also able to win a unique honor with his impressive performance and join the players who have significantly advanced in the history of the World Cup at this age after Pele.
Eight knockout stage matches have gone to extra time so far in this World Cup, the most in a single edition of the World Cup. In 1990 and 2014, eight matches went to extra time, but in both tournaments the number of knockout stage matches was much lower than in the current World Cup.
