Ranking Lab — A Measuring Newsroom
Editorial Research Ranking

World Cup Individual Feats, Ranked
— 25 Feats Measured by Rarity and Durability

FReporter: The Formation Notebook Keeper (JPN11.com affiliate — scores disclosed transparently, based on data and primary sources)

Rather than fame or raw goal counts, we broke this down into five axes: rarity and durability, stage magnitude, tournament dominance, transcendence across eras, and narrative power. The unit here is "player × tournament × feat" — this is not an overall ranking of individual player ability. Change the ruler, and the order shifts (try it with the lenses below). Just Fontaine's 13 goals at the 1958 tournament — a feat with far less name recognition — climbs to No. 10 in this ranking. The axis scores show why.

The 2026 tournament concluded on July 19, 2026 (champions: Spain; top scorer: Mbappé; tournament MVP: Rodri). The four 2026-related candidates (Messi, Mbappé, Kane, Ochoa) have been re-scored using the confirmed records now that the tournament has ended. We make no reference to betting, bookmakers, or prediction markets.

How this ranking is built (methodology)

To avoid reducing "how impressive a feat is" to a single word, we broke it into five independent axes and combined them with weights (total = Σ(axis score × weight)/100). "Fame" is not one of the axes.

AxisWhat it measuresWeight
Rarity & durabilityWhether the feat remains unmatched, or hard to match, despite changes in rules, competition, and playing level24%
Stage magnitudeHow weighty a stage within the tournament — a final, a decisive moment — the feat was achieved on20%
Tournament dominanceHow much the player individually dominated and drove the tournament as a whole20%
Transcendence across erasWhether the feat is still referenced today, once adjusted for differences in the era's competitive level and tournament format20%
Narrative powerHow compelling the story behind the feat is — adversity, comeback, age, circumstance16%
Normalization rule
The unit is "player × tournament × feat." Feats from the 1950s–90s carry an era note (field size, tactical specialization) and a flags=era-adjusted tag. Team-level events (a title itself, a penalty-shootout outcome, etc.) are excluded from candidacy.
Handling of the 2026 tournament
Scored using the confirmed records after the tournament concluded (July 19, 2026). We originally scored these candidates with in-progress provisional figures; ranks were updated once we re-scored them with the confirmed records.
Data sources
We prioritize general, well-established knowledge of World Cup and international football history. We avoid asserting precise statistics from memory and stick to qualitative framing. No reproduction of other sites' ranking-article text. No steering toward betting or prediction businesses.
Compiled on / subjectivity
2026-07-06. Judging tournament dominance and narrative power involves editorial judgment. Revenue separation: no affiliate links, prices, or CTAs.
Switch the evaluation lens — change the weights and the order shifts (recalculated from the same evidence, same scores)

Overall Ranking

★ First Edition

Findings against the conventional wisdom

① "I've never even heard of Fontaine's 13 goals. Something like Zidane's two-goal final performance should rank higher." → Here it climbs to No. 10. Fontaine's 13 goals at the 1958 tournament score among the highest of all candidates on rarity & durability (10) and transcendence across eras (9), while narrative power (4) sits near the bottom. Even so, the total lands at No. 10 — ahead of the more famous Zidane (No. 13), Klose (No. 12), and Kahn (No. 14). Under the "durability focus" lens it climbs further, to No. 4 (see the lens above).
② Re-scored with the confirmed post-tournament figures, Messi's 2026 campaign lands at No. 7, while Mbappé's lands at No. 5. Messi, at 39, set the all-time record for consecutive World Cup matches with a goal at nine, but was scoreless in the final as Argentina finished runner-up. Mbappé, meanwhile, scored 10 goals to become the first player to win the Golden Boot in back-to-back tournaments, and reached 22 career World Cup goals, the all-time record. While the tournament was still in progress we had scored Mbappé's provisional feat at No. 19; re-scored with the confirmed record, it moves up to No. 5.
③ Hurst's final hat-trick is often described as one of a kind — but it was actually a World Cup "first," not a "one and only" (Mbappé achieved a second in the 2022 final). So why does it slip from No. 4 to No. 7 under the tournament-dominance lens? It's a feat achieved on the biggest possible stage, the final, but England's run through the whole tournament was carried more by the team's defensive structure than by Hurst individually, so tournament dominance sits in the middle of the pack. "The peak of a single match" and "dominance across the whole tournament" are different questions.
④ The 2026 cohort is scattered across both the top and bottom of the table. Mbappé (2026) sits at No. 5 and Messi (2026) at No. 7, while Kane (2026) sits at No. 20 and Ochoa (2026) at No. 23. Even for feats from the same tournament, rank varies widely depending on how rare the record is and how much the player dominated the tournament.

Change the weights, change the picture (subviews)

LensNo. 1Biggest moversWhat it measures
Current (5-axis balance)Maradona (1986) 9.12—Combines rarity, stage, dominance, era transcendence, and narrative power
Stage magnitude focusMessi (2022) 9.40Maradona (1986) falls from No. 1 to No. 4. Zidane (1998) rises from No. 13 to No. 6, Eusébio (1966) rises from No. 15 to No. 13Measures only "what was achieved on the final and other decisive moments"
Tournament dominance focusMaradona (1986) and Messi (2022) tie at No. 1 with 9.40Mbappé (2026) rises from No. 5 to No. 4. Rossi (1982) rises from No. 8 to No. 6. Hurst (1966) falls from No. 4 to No. 7Measures only "how much the player individually drove the whole tournament"
Narrative power focusMaradona (1986) and Messi (2022) tie at No. 1 with 9.40Banks (1970) surges from No. 19 to No. 13. Fontaine (1958) falls from No. 10 to No. 17A lens that measures only "appeal as an anecdote," reproducing the conventional wisdom
Durability focusHurst (1966) 9.10 (takes over No. 1)Fontaine (1958) rises from No. 10 to No. 4. Zagallo (player + manager) rises from No. 11 to No. 5. Ronaldo/R9 (2002) plunges from No. 6 to No. 15The lens that tests this article's central counter-narrative claim

Where this ranking is arguable — and its limits

Each axis score from 1–10 is an estimate based on the accounts we gathered; judging tournament dominance and narrative power in particular involves editorial judgment. We avoid asserting precise statistics from memory and stick to qualitative framing.

Era-adjusted flag: The 12 feats from the 1958–1990s carry an "era-adjusted" flag under our era_rule. We disclose both a discount factor — the difference in field size and tactical specialization at the time — and a countervailing factor — the harshness of travel and medical care back then.

2026 tournament re-scoring: The 2026 tournament concluded on July 19, 2026, settling the top scorer, tournament MVP, and similar honors, so we re-scored the four 2026-related feats (Messi, Mbappé, Kane, Ochoa) using the confirmed records. Compared with our provisional in-progress scoring, rank moved for Mbappé (No. 19 → No. 5), Kane (No. 21 → No. 20), and Messi (No. 6 → No. 7), and every candidate between No. 5 and No. 19 shifted down by one place as a result. Ochoa's facts matched our provisional report, so his score is unchanged.

This article does not declare a definitive "greatest player of all time." It is an ordering of "feats" (player × tournament × event) on the five disclosed axes. Team-level events (a title itself, a penalty-shootout outcome, etc.) are not included as candidates. We make no reference to, or steering toward, betting, bookmakers, or prediction businesses.

Related

⚽ Formations & stats, read as data — JPN11.com (Japanese) 📊 More rankings — 10i.jp hub

Sources

  1. Maradona's solo breakaway goal in the 1986 quarterfinal against England — FIFA's official article on the match https://www.fifa.com/en/articles/diego-maradona-argentina-england-hand-of-god-1986 / the assessment that he carried the whole tournament almost single-handedly is the editorial judgement of this article
  2. That the goal is called the "Goal of the Century" — chosen as Goal of the Century in a 2002 FIFA poll. The same FIFA official article above https://www.fifa.com/en/articles/diego-maradona-argentina-england-hand-of-god-1986 / note: no primary source was reached for the poll's detailed methodology
  3. That a similar solo breakaway goal has rarely been repeated at a decisive moment of a World Cup — no primary source was reached that could guarantee full coverage of such comparisons (the editorial judgement of this article)
  4. Winning the 2022 tournament, contributing a goal or assist in every round, and being named tournament MVP (Golden Ball) — FIFA official https://www.fifa.com/en/articles/lionel-messi-argentina-wins-golden-ball-award-best-player-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022 (the same article also notes this was his second time winning the award)
  5. Two goals in the final (against France) and the penalty shootout — the same FIFA official article above https://www.fifa.com/en/articles/lionel-messi-argentina-wins-golden-ball-award-best-player-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022 / seven goals for the tournament
  6. That finally winning at age 35 was widely reported — no primary source was reached showing the distribution of coverage (the editorial judgement of this article)
  7. At 17 at the 1958 tournament, a hat-trick in the semifinal and two goals in the final (against Sweden) — FIFA official https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/articles/pele-brazil-youngest-goal-final-scorer-sweden-1958 (winning at 17 years, 249 days made him the youngest ever)
  8. That scoring twice in the final was his heaviest contribution on the biggest stage — based on the same FIFA official article above, the editorial judgement of this article
  9. That no other case of a teenager winning the title and scoring in the final at the same time has been confirmed — even including the 2026 tournament, no new matching case was found, though the age composition of every participating nation was not exhaustively checked, so the coverage of this comparison has limits (low-confidence)
  10. The hat-trick in the 1966 final (against West Germany) — note: this article originally described this as "the only hat-trick in a World Cup final," which was an error. Mbappé scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final, so Hurst's was the "first," not the "only" (ESPN https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37636930/lionel-messi-hails-kylian-mbappe-incredible-hat-trick-world-cup-final / Britannica https://www.britannica.com/sports/Famous-FIFA-World-Cup-Goals-Kylian-Mbappes-Magical-Equalizer ); it has been corrected to "the first"
  11. The weight of the final as a stage — the editorial judgement of this article
  12. That Hurst is not credited with having personally dominated the tournament as a whole — no primary source was reached showing the distribution of that assessment (the editorial judgement of this article)
  13. The physical illness before the 1998 final and the serious injuries he recovered from before scoring 8 goals plus two in the final at the 2002 tournament — a BBC Sport retrospective https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/sport/av/football/63604265 / note: FIFA's official page could not be retrieved (in this environment, fifa.com returns an empty body), so only the article title was confirmed
  14. That scoring twice in the final was his heaviest contribution on the biggest stage — the editorial judgement of this article
  15. His contribution as the tournament's top scorer (8 goals, Golden Boot) — the same BBC Sport retrospective above https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/sport/av/football/63604265
  16. The 2026 tournament's record for consecutive scoring matches — Messi extended his streak of scoring in consecutive matches to nine, setting the all-time record for consecutive scoring matches at a World Cup (Soccer Digest Web https://www.soccerdigestweb.com/news/detail/id=193957 / Nikkan Sports https://topics.smt.docomo.ne.jp/article/nikkansports/sports/f-sc-tp0-260708-202607080000048 ). Note: this article originally described this as "the first-ever streak of seven straight World Cup matches with a goal, later extended to eight straight," but by the end of the tournament the confirmed figure was nine straight matches, so it has been corrected. FIFA's official record page could not be retrieved and remains unreached
  17. The 2026 tournament's World Cup career-goal total — Messi reached a career total of 21 goals, briefly the outright all-time record surpassing Klose's 16, but was overtaken by Mbappé (22 goals) by the end of the tournament and finished second on the all-time list (Livedoor News https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/31767492/ / TV Tokyo Sports reporting https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/306a6b50f5b1aa815204b704f1bed726ab426992 ). Note: this article originally stated a career total of "19–20 goals, the all-time World Cup record," but since he was not the all-time leader once the tournament concluded, this has been corrected
  18. The record he set at 39 and how the tournament ended for him — he scored 8 goals in the tournament for the Silver Boot, and finished with the Silver Ball in the tournament-MVP voting (Olympics.com's full list of award winners https://www.olympics.com/en/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-golden-ball-golden-boot-golden-glove-complete-list-of-all-awards ). He was scoreless in the final (against Spain, 0-1), and Argentina finished runner-up (NHK https://news.web.nhk/newsweb/na/na-k10015180471000 )
  19. 6 goals, the Golden Boot, and tournament MVP at the 1982 tournament — FIFA's official tribute article https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/articles/paolo-rossi-italy-golden-boot-1982 / note: fifa.com could not be retrieved, so only the article title was confirmed. No primary source was reached for the details of the match-fixing suspension he served before returning for this tournament
  20. His performance, including a hat-trick against Brazil — the same FIFA official article above https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/articles/paolo-rossi-italy-golden-boot-1982 (the second-round match against Brazil)
  21. That winning both the Golden Boot and tournament MVP at the same tournament is a rare combination — no primary source was reached that could guarantee full coverage of such comparisons (the editorial judgement of this article)
  22. As a player, captain of the 1974-winning squad; as a manager, winner of the 1990 tournament — FIFA's official tribute article https://inside.fifa.com/news/a-tribute-to-mario-zagallo-1931-2024 (this tribute to Zagallo notes that several people have won as both player and manager) / note: this article says "one of a small number of people," not "the only one." The people involved are Zagallo, Beckenbauer, and Deschamps
  23. That his tactical influence as both a player and a manager is still referenced today — no primary source was reached showing the distribution of that assessment (the editorial judgement of this article)
  24. That the 13 goals at the 1958 tournament remain unbroken as a single-tournament individual scoring record — FIFA official https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/just-fontaine-thirteen-goals-1958 / not broken even at the 2026 tournament (the tournament's top scorer there was Mbappé, with 10 goals)
  25. That the record has not been broken even after the tournament format later expanded — same as above. The record still stands even after the 2026 tournament (48 teams)
  26. That France finished third at that tournament, so his goals were not directly tied to winning the title — the same FIFA official article above https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/just-fontaine-thirteen-goals-1958
  27. As a player, a member of the winning squads in 1958 and 1962; as a manager, winner of the 1970 tournament — FIFA's official tribute article https://inside.fifa.com/news/a-tribute-to-mario-zagallo-1931-2024
  28. That title-winning involvement across multiple roles and multiple tournaments is rare — the people involved are Zagallo, Beckenbauer, and Deschamps (the same FIFA official article above). This article says "almost no comparable case has been confirmed," and no primary source was reached for the exhaustive count of exactly three people
  29. That he recorded a career total of 16 goals across four tournaments from 2002 to 2014, then the World Cup all-time scoring record — reporting https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/miroslav-klose-meet-old-world-204424610.html / note: this article uses the past tense "then the record," which does not conflict with the current situation in which he has since been overtaken by Messi (21 goals) and Mbappé (22 goals) at the 2026 tournament
  30. Sustained scoring across four tournaments — the editorial judgement of this article, based on the career total above
  31. That a career total is not tied to a single decisive moment — the editorial judgement of this article
  32. Two headed goals in the 1998 final (against Brazil) and France's first title — FIFA official https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/zinedine-zidane-headers-1998-final (the final finished 3-0, with the two goals coming in the 27th and 45th minutes)
  33. That deciding a title with multiple goals in the final is rare — no primary source was reached that could guarantee full coverage of such comparisons (the editorial judgement of this article)
  34. That he won tournament MVP (Golden Ball) in 2002 as a goalkeeper — CNN's contemporaneous report https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/worldcup/07/02/kahn.award/index.html / no other goalkeeper has won the award since, and the 2026 tournament's Golden Ball also went to a midfielder, Rodri (Olympics.com https://www.olympics.com/en/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-golden-ball-golden-boot-golden-glove-complete-list-of-all-awards )
  35. That a mistake of his in the final contributed to a goal conceded — the same CNN report above https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/worldcup/07/02/kahn.award/index.html / describing it as a "complicated case" is the editorial judgement of this article
  36. That decisive saves in the matches leading up to the final were behind the award — the editorial judgement of this article (no primary source was reached showing the distribution of that assessment)
  37. 9 goals and the Golden Boot at the 1966 tournament, and his contribution to the comeback in the quarterfinal (against North Korea) — Portugal came back from 0-3 to win 5-3, with Eusébio scoring four goals (two in each half, one from the penalty spot) (football specialist outlet https://portugoal.net/classics-topmenu/5255-world-cup-1966-revisited-eusebio-masterclass-powers-portugal-to-miraculous-comeback ) / no primary source from FIFA or the Portuguese football federation was reached
  38. The drama of overturning a three-goal deficit — the editorial judgement of this article, based on the match account above
  39. As a player, captain of the 1998-winning squad; as a manager, winner of the 2018 tournament — reportedly the third person in history to win as both player and manager, after Zagallo and Beckenbauer (backpagefc https://backpagefc.com/stories/managers-who-won-world-cup-as-player-and-manager-deschamps / Deccan Herald https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/football/a-deschamps-double-a-look-into-the-elite-club-of-world-cup-winners-as-player-and-manager-4073171 ). No primary source from the French football federation was reached
  40. The characteristics of his roles as a player and as a manager — the editorial judgement of this article
  41. That he was 40 when he won in 1982, the oldest-ever winning captain — Guinness World Records' official page https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/116281-oldest-player-to-appear-in-a-football-soccer-fifa-world-cup-final (40 years, 4 months, 13 days on the day of the final) / not broken even at the 2026 tournament (Rodri, captain of champions Spain, was 30)
  42. The observation that this is even harder to replicate in today's competitive environment — the editorial judgement of this article (no primary source was reached)
  43. That he scored in six consecutive tournaments, from 2006 through 2026 — note: this article originally described this as "five straight tournaments, 2006–2022," but he scored again at the 2026 tournament, updating the record to six straight, so this has been corrected. Six consecutive tournaments with a goal is said to be a World Cup first (Yahoo Sports https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/breaking-news/article/world-cup-2026-cristiano-ronaldo-becomes-first-man-to-score-a-goal-in-6-world-cups-171107583.html / hola.com https://www.hola.com/us/celebrities/20260624909180/cristiano-ronaldo-only-man-to-score-six-consecutive-world-cups/ ). FIFA's official record page could not be retrieved and remains unreached
  44. That he maintained his condition and kept scoring across 20 years — the editorial judgement of this article, based on the six-consecutive-tournament fact above
  45. That his individual goals were not tied to reaching a final or winning a title — the editorial judgement of this article
  46. That his save in the 1970 group-stage match (against Brazil) is still retold as the "Save of the Century" — a sports-media retrospective https://onefootball.com/en/news/gordon-banks-a-world-cup-winner-who-denied-pele-with-the-save-of-the-century-24182469 (the match on 7 June 1970 in Guadalajara; Brazil won 1-0) / no primary source from the Football Association or FIFA was reached
  47. That it continues to be cited as one of the greatest saves of all time — no primary source was reached showing the distribution of that assessment (the editorial judgement of this article)
  48. That the match was a group-stage fixture and England were eliminated in the quarterfinal — the same retrospective article above https://onefootball.com/en/news/gordon-banks-a-world-cup-winner-who-denied-pele-with-the-save-of-the-century-24182469 (the quarterfinal was against West Germany, lost 2-3; Banks missed it through illness)
  49. Mbappé's 2026-tournament results — he won the Golden Boot (top scorer) with 10 goals, the first player in World Cup history to win the award in back-to-back tournaments. He scored the winning penalty in the round of 32 (against Paraguay, 1-0) (TV Tokyo Sports reporting https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/306a6b50f5b1aa815204b704f1bed726ab426992 / Real Madrid official https://www.realmadrid.com/ja-JP/news/football/first-team/latest-news/mbappe-bota-de-oro-del-mundial-19-07-2026 / details of the Paraguay match https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/article/2026-world-cup-france-secures-frustrating-win-over-paraguay-with-kylian-mbappe-penalty-231047241.html ). Note: this article originally stated the in-progress figure "7 goals in 5 matches, on track for a second consecutive Golden Boot," which has been corrected to the confirmed figures
  50. That he reached the all-time World Cup career-scoring record — Mbappé's World Cup career total reached 22 goals at the 2026 tournament, overtaking Messi (21 goals) (TV Tokyo Sports reporting https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/306a6b50f5b1aa815204b704f1bed726ab426992 ). He also scored two goals in the third-place play-off (against England, 4-6) (FIFA's official match report https://www.fifa.com/ja/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/france-england-report-highlights-bronze-final-ja / ESPN https://www.espn.com/soccer/match/_/gameId/760516/england-france ). In the voting for tournament MVP he finished with the Bronze Ball (third) (Olympics.com https://www.olympics.com/en/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-golden-ball-golden-boot-golden-glove-complete-list-of-all-awards )
  51. Scoring at age 42 years, 39 days in the 1994 group stage (against Russia) — the record for the oldest World Cup goalscorer — FIFA official https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/roger-milla-oldest-goalscorer-1994 (note: fifa.com could not be retrieved, so only the article title was confirmed) / not broken even at the 2026 tournament
  52. That his corner-flag celebration after scoring has been retold as an iconic moment — based on the FIFA official article title above. No primary source was reached showing the distribution of that assessment
  53. That the goal was a single group-stage strike that did not tie into the outcome of the title — the same match ended in a 1-6 loss for Cameroon (the editorial judgement of this article)
  54. That Kane broke England's World Cup career scoring record at the 2026 tournament — his second goal in a 2-0 win over Panama broke Lineker's record of 10 goals, taking his tally to 11. The Football Association (The FA) official https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2026/Jun/17/harry-kane-england-men-world-cup-goals-record-20261706 / note: this article originally stated "his third goal in a 2-0 win," but that match had only two goals and no third, so this has been corrected (IBTimes UK https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/harry-kane-breaks-england-world-cup-scoring-record-1806321 )
  55. His dominance across the whole tournament — Kane's 2026-tournament tally was 6 goals, for a World Cup career total of 14, tied for 5th all-time with Gerd Müller (The Football Association official https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2026/Jul/10/harry-kane-top-five-world-cup-goalscorers-20261007 / Nikkan Sports reporting https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/5df0539fec9c07d6fbec45728888425718b3e28d ). Kane is not among the scorers in the semifinal or the third-place play-off (FIFA's official match report https://www.fifa.com/ja/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/england-argentina-match-report-highlights-ja )
  56. 6 goals and the Golden Boot at the 1990 tournament, and becoming a symbol of the fervor of host nation Italy — FIFA's official tribute article https://www.fifa.com/en/news/articles/salvatore-schillaci-tribute-italy (note: fifa.com could not be retrieved, so only the article title was confirmed) / a sports-media retrospective https://www.goal.com/en/news/salvatore-schillaci-hero-italia-90/bltf9b0fd59fa9a7b59
  57. That Italy finished third at that tournament — the same retrospective article above https://www.goal.com/en/news/salvatore-schillaci-hero-italia-90/bltf9b0fd59fa9a7b59 (Italy beat England in the third-place play-off)
  58. That Ochoa made his sixth consecutive World Cup squad at the 2026 tournament — at 40, he came on as a substitute in the 78th minute of the group-stage match against Czechia (Mexico won 3-0), so he not only made the squad but actually appeared, achieving the record (Yahoo Sports https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/guillermo-ochoa-makes-history-3rd-120000802.html ). No primary source from FIFA or the Mexican football federation was reached
  59. That six consecutive tournament appearances is an extremely rare record — said to place him alongside Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (the same report above https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/guillermo-ochoa-makes-history-3rd-120000802.html )
  60. That an appearance record is not tied to a decisive moment within the tournament — the editorial judgement of this article
  61. 6 goals and the Golden Boot at the 2014 tournament, and the chest-trap-into-volley in the round of 16 (against Uruguay) — note: this article originally described this as "the quarterfinal (against Brazil)," which was a mix-up of matches. The goal in question came in the round of 16 (against Uruguay, 2-0), and it won the FIFA Puskás Award that year. FIFA official https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/james-rodriguez-colombia-uruguay-2014 / the 6-goal Golden Boot figure is from BBC Sport https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/sport/0/football/28279730
  62. That Colombia were eliminated in the quarterfinal — the quarterfinal was against Brazil, lost 1-2 (in that match James Rodríguez scored from the penalty spot). The same FIFA official article above https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/james-rodriguez-colombia-uruguay-2014
  63. 6 goals and the Golden Boot at the 1986 tournament — FIFA official https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/gary-lineker-england-goals-1986 (note: fifa.com could not be retrieved, so only the article title was confirmed)
  64. That England were eliminated in the quarterfinal (against Argentina) — the match finished 1-2 and included two goals from Maradona (the same FIFA official article title above, and the source for this article's candidate 1, https://www.fifa.com/en/articles/diego-maradona-argentina-england-hand-of-god-1986 )
  65. That Kane broke Lineker's England World Cup career-scoring record at the 2026 tournament — Lineker's record was 10 goals; Kane reached 11 to break it. The Football Association (The FA) official https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2026/Jun/17/harry-kane-england-men-world-cup-goals-record-20261706
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