Lionel Messi became the FIFA World Cup’s all-time assists leader in the 2026 campaign, but where does Michael Olise’s seven assists put the Frenchman in the all-time ranks?
Olise had one of the most productive tournaments we’ve ever seen in terms of pure creation, dishing out seven assists over the 2026 World Cup.
While having Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele finish off your created chances helps, where does Olise rank all-time in terms of contributions in a single World Cup?
Michael Olise overtook Pelé for most assists in a World Cup ever
Olise assisted the ball twice to Kylian Mbappe in this game, with the 66th-minute assist helping him overtake Brazilian legend Pelé for most assists in a single World Cup with seven.
Pelé had registered six assists at the 1970 World Cup that Brazil wound up winning. Olise’s France, unfortunately, finished the 2026 edition in fourth after losing the third-place game to England 6-4.
Olise’s record has been boosted by having one additional game to play in the tournament, and also by the non-existent defensive play in their third-place clash against England.
This 2026 performance bodes well for where Olise could finish all-time by the end of his career, as he’s just three behind the all-time leader, Messi.
The third-most assists in a World Cup (five) is a four-way tie with Robert Gadocha (1974, Poland), Pierre Littbarsk (1982, Germany), Diego Maradona (1986, Argentina), and Thomas Hassler (1994, Germany).
Messi could join this group with another assist in the Final and Pelé at No. 6 if he can register two.
Olise’s 2026 Cup run was fantastic, but it ended disappointingly. Now, he has a potentially complicated summer transfer saga ahead of him with Real Madrid aggressively pursuing the Bayern Munich star.
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