11 amazing World Cup records and landmarks you won’t believe have already happened
Can you believe it? We’re not even two weeks into the 2026 World Cup, and this summer’s tournament has already brought some unforgettable moments that will be remembered for years to come.
This is the first World Cup with 48 teams, including four newcomers – Cape Verde, Curacao, Uzbekistan, and Jordan – all making their debut on the world stage. At first, people wondered if these smaller teams could compete with the big names, but Cape Verde quickly proved everyone wrong in their opening game against the European champions, Spain.
Bubista’s team shocked the world by holding Spain to a 0-0 draw, thanks in large part to the amazing saves from goalkeeper Vozinha, who we’ll highlight a bit later. Then, just a few days later, this tiny nation of about 540,000 people made history again by scoring their first World Cup goal ever – and it was a direct free kick! They tied 2-2 with Uruguay in a stunning match.
But that’s not all – some other incredible records have been broken this summer in North America.
The Netherlands, known as “The Oranje,” beat Brazil’s record of 13 unbeaten games, thanks to a big 5-1 win over Sweden on June 20. Their last loss was back in the 2010 final against Spain. Since then, their 2014 and 2022 runs ended only in penalty shootouts.
Egypt had a tough World Cup history, playing eight matches since their debut in 1934 without a win – they drew three and lost five. But that changed on June 22 when Mohamed Salah and his team celebrated their first-ever World Cup victory with a 3-1 win over New Zealand.
Goalkeeper Eloy Room also had a standout moment on June 21, making 15 saves against Ecuador – the most saves anyone has made in a regular World Cup game since 1966. Room plays for Miami FC in the USL Championship.
Cape Verde has had an amazing tournament too, scoring their first World Cup goal from a free kick and giving away just one foul in their 0-0 draw with Spain, the least ever recorded in a World Cup match.
Canada made history by becoming the first team from outside Europe and South America to score five or more goals in a World Cup match. They thrilled fans in Vancouver with a big win over Qatar, thanks to a hat-trick from Jonathan David and goals from Cyle Larin, Nathan Saliba, and Mohammed Manai. Fun fact: Canada’s eight shots on target in the first half were the most since Romania did it against Argentina in 1994.
Unfortunately, Turkey has had a rough time, losing their first two group matches without scoring a single goal, despite trying 62 shots – the most attempts without a goal in any two-game stretch in World Cup history.
Morocco’s Mohamed Ouahbi helped his team set a record for the most passes by an African team in a World Cup game since 1966, with 601 passes in their 1-0 win over Scotland.
On a different note, Mikel Oyarzabal made history by scoring two goals and assisting another all within the first 30 minutes against Saudi Arabia on June 21, joining a very short list of players to do that so early in a World Cup match.
Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha took social media by storm, gaining over 15 million new Instagram followers after his incredible game against Spain. At 40 years old, he became the oldest goalkeeper on record to keep a clean sheet in his World Cup debut, making seven saves against the European champions.
And speaking of age-defying feats, Lionel Messi, at almost 39, became the oldest player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match after his hat-trick against Algeria on June 17 – beating the previous record set by Cameroon’s Roger Milla back in 1990.
What a tournament it’s been so far!