World Cup 2026: France’s Michael Olise breaks Pelé’s record for assists in a single tournament
Kylian Mbappé wasn’t the only France player to set a World Cup record in its 6-4 third-place game loss to England.
As Mbappé scored his 22nd World Cup goal to break the all-time record set by Argentina’s Lionel Messi earlier in the tournament, Olise provided the assist. That was Olise’s seventh assist of the 2026 World Cup and broke a record held by Brazilian legend Pelé for over 50 years.
Pelé had six assists in six games as Brazil won the 1970 World Cup. That was Pelé’s final World Cup and Brazil’s third tournament win with him the squad.
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With this year’s World Cup expanded to 48 teams, Olise played one more game than Pelé — though he also averaged an assist per game.
Olise entered Saturday’s third-place game with five assists and assisted on both of Mbappé’s goals. The assist to tie Pelé’s record came in the 48th minute, when France started to chip away at England’s 4-0 halftime lead.
However, Olise may be left to rue what could have been on Saturday. He missed numerous chances on goal as France tried to make one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history. No team has ever overcome a 4-0 deficit at the World Cup, but France (and Olise) had numerous opportunities to get the game tied but sent shots wide.
Olise was one of the best attackers of the tournament as he played alongside Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé as part of France’s fearsome forward line. However, the team’s midfield and defense were ultimately its undoing as Spain won 2-0 in the semifinals and France’s disjointed effort in the first half dug a third-place hole that was way too big to overcome.