record

Lionel Messi has turned the 2026 World Cup group stage into a personal procession through the record books. Across Argentina's three Group J games, against Algeria, Austria and Jordan, the 39-year-old captain has broken or equalled a string…

As the clock ticked down on Saudi Arabia’s 0-0 draw with Cape Verde in Houston last Friday, the online backlash was already in full swing. Prince Abdul Rahman bin Musaid, a former Al-Hilal president with 6.7 million followers on X, did not…

Norway and France meet at Boston Stadium on Friday evening in a Group I fixture where both nations pursue the top spot following dominant performances throughout the group stage. Ståle Solbakken's side officially secured their knockout…

On 17 June 2006, in Frankfurt, a 21-year-old wearing the number 17 shirt stepped up to take a penalty for Portugal against Iran. He was wearing 17 because Luis Figo — Portugal's captain, their most decorated player, the man whose shoes he…

The gods of football, as someone noted afterwards, clearly did not want the record broken from the penalty spot. They had something better in mind. In the ninth minute at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Messi struck a penalty wide of…

History has been rewritten in Texas. Just two days shy of his 39th birthday, Lionel Messi has officially become the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, inspiring Argentina to a clinical 2-0 victory over Austria at Dallas…

Day 10 delivered the full range of emotions the World Cup can produce. The Netherlands announced themselves as genuine contenders with a five-goal demolition. Germany survived a scare before a 94th-minute winner confirmed their progress.…

World Cup Day 7 completed the first round of group stage fixtures with all 48 teams having played. It delivered two results that will define the tournament narrative for weeks: England's thrilling win over Croatia confirmed their…

The numbers sit there, stubbornly implausible. In seven World Cup appearances since independence, Croatia have reached the semi-finals three times — finishing third in 1998, reaching the final in 2018, and claiming third place again in…

Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup hat-trick to equal Miroslav Klose's all-time record of 16 goals as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 in Kansas City. It was a day that also saw Kylian Mbappé become France's all-time leading scorer and…