Lionel Messi sits one assist away from owning a World Cup record outright, and the fact that the man he’d surpass is Diego Maradona makes this particular milestone feel less like a stat line and more like a passing of the torch.

Messi currently shares the record for the most assists in FIFA World Cup history with Maradona, both sitting on eight, according to Opta data tracked since 1966. One more assist in the 2026 tournament, and Messi stands alone at the top.

The numbers behind the record

Across 26 World Cup appearances spanning five tournaments from 2006 to 2022, Messi has compiled 13 goals and 8 assists. Those 26 caps also make him the most-capped player in World Cup history.

During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the tournament Argentina ultimately won, Messi contributed three of those eight assists. That’s worth pausing on: he delivered nearly 40% of his career World Cup assists in a single tournament, at age 35, while also leading his country to a title they hadn’t held since Maradona himself lifted the trophy in 1986.

In knockout rounds specifically, Messi has recorded six assists, tying him with Pelé.

Fritz Walter is credited with nine assists across the 1954 and 1958 World Cups, but that figure comes from an era before Opta’s systematic tracking began in 1966. The modern, verified record belongs to Messi and Maradona at eight apiece.

What the 2026 World Cup means for this record

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be held across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, marking the first time the tournament will be hosted by three nations simultaneously. It also represents what most observers expect to be Messi’s final World Cup, given that he’ll be 39 by the time the tournament kicks off.

The expanded 48-team format means more matches, longer tournament windows, and deeper squad rotations. In a tournament that could feature as many as seven matches for a team that reaches the final, Messi would need only one through ball, one corner kick delivery, or one assist that Opta credits to claim the record outright.

Legacy implications beyond the record books

Surpassing Maradona in this particular category would carry symbolic weight in Argentina, where the two are locked in an eternal debate over national sporting supremacy. Messi already has the 2022 World Cup trophy that Maradona’s supporters long held as the trump card in that argument.

Accumulating World Cup assists requires a combination of elite playmaking ability and the durability to appear in multiple tournaments across a career spanning 12 to 16 years at the international level.