FIFA World Cup 2026: Michael Olise Breaks Pele’s Historic Record With 7 Assists as England Beat France in 10-Goal Thriller

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Record: France’s forward Michael Olise has created FIFA World Cup history, having recorded his seventh assist in the 2026 World Cup, which help him shatter legendary Brazilian icon Pele’s record of most assists in a single World Cup edition (6). The French forward, who currently plays for Bayern Munich, made history against England in France’s game at Miami Stadium, in which Michael Olise’s assist to Kylian Mbappe led to a total of two goals for Kylian Mbappe, resulting in his World Cup assist count also going up to seven. The record of six assists had been made by Pele in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

Michael Olise breaks Pele’s assist record at FIFA World Cup 2026

From his very first game in the World Cup, Olise was on the mark right away, setting up Mbappe’s goal in France’s opening game against Senegal. Then it was two assists each against Iraq and Sweden to put him just one short of matching the World Cup record. And his two assists today were again both converted by Mbappe in France’s game against England, which surpassed Pele’s tally. However, the two assists and overall four goals scored by France were not enough for them to finish third in the FIFA World Cup 2026, as England beat them 6-4 thanks to a hat-trick by Bukayo Saka.

Michael Olise still trails Lionel Messi on all-time charts

Even though Olise did set the new record for assists in the tournament, he still hasn’t caught up to Lionel Messi when it comes to all-time World Cup assists. After assisting 7 goals in the 2026 edition, he is now still five assists away from equalling the all-time record holder.
The winger from Bayern Munich, alongside his incredible World Cup campaign, also shone brightly at the club level. Olise, with the help of his team, won the league title and the DFB-Pokal. He finished the Bundesliga season with 15 goals and 19 assists.

FIFA World Cup 2026: England finish third thanks to Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick

In what will go down as the highest-scoring third-place play-off in modern tournament history, England’s Bukayo Saka’s magnificent hat-trick overcame Kylian Mbappe’s brace and powered the Three Lions to their best World Cup finish on foreign soil since 1966. England took absolute control of the first half, leaving Les Bleus shell-shocked with an unprecedented 4-0 lead before the interval. However, the second half saw a dramatic shift in momentum. Mbappe led the charge, striking in the 48th minute before Bradley Barcola added a second just six minutes later to make it 4-2. When Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute to bring France within one goal, England looked completely rattled under relentless waves of attack.
Just as the game seemed to be slipping away from Thomas Tuchel’s men, England found their relief. A late counter-attack resulted in an 87th-minute penalty, which Saka calmly converted to complete his hat-trick and restore breathing room at 5-3. The drama spilt deep into stoppage time as Ousmane Dembele clawed one back for France in the 90+6th minute, but Jude Bellingham put the final exclamation point on the historic night, scoring in the 90+8th minute to seal the extraordinary 6-4 victory for England to cap their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign on a third-place high.