Argentina captain Lionel Messi has the most goal contributions in World Cup knockout matches, the sole record of surpassing Kylian Mbappé in the knockout stage. Argentina reached the last four by beating Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinal on Sunday.
Among the match’s notable achievements: for the first time since the FIFA ranking was introduced in 1992, the four top-ranked teams are playing in the World Cup semifinals. It is also the third time four former champions have reached the semifinals, as at the 1970 and 1990 World Cups.
Messi has played 20 passes from which teammates took a shot on goal at this tournament, the first player since the 1966 World Cup to make 20 or more such passes in three different tournaments (21 in 2022 and 24 in 2014).
Argentina have scored three or more goals in four consecutive matches at this World Cup, jointly the most in World Cup history; France had also done so earlier this tournament before their run ended against Paraguay in the round of 16. Argentina have scored three goals from corners, matching England and Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite having the third-shortest average height at the tournament, and are joint top with the United States for set-piece goals with five.
Messi became the fourth player to start four World Cup quarterfinals, after Germany’s Lothar Matthäus, Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler. Four of Julian Alvarez’s five World Cup goals have come in the knockout stage, as have four of Maradona’s; Messi leads for Argentina with seven.
Breel Embolo left the field with a second yellow card for diving, joining Mexico’s Luis Pérez (against Portugal, 2006), Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan (against Brazil, 2006) and Italy’s Francesco Totti (against South Korea, 2002) as players sent off this way in the past 60 years. The match was the eighth knockout tie to go to extra time this tournament, matching the 2014 and 1990 World Cups, which had only 15 knockout matches each; this year the number has risen to 31.
Messi failed to score for the first time in nine consecutive World Cup matches; after scoring in four matches at the 2022 World Cup he had scored in five straight this tournament. By setting up Alexis Mac Allister’s goal from a corner, Messi reached 10 World Cup assists, the most since 1966, with Maradona second on eight; 10 different players have scored from Messi’s assists.
Messi had never assisted so early (the 10th minute) at a World Cup before the Switzerland match, and it was his first World Cup assist from a corner. He became the second player after Mbappé to contribute to 10 or more goals across multiple World Cups, having also done so at the 2022 World Cup. Mac Allister’s goal was the first time Switzerland had trailed across the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and finals combined, having never fallen behind in 11 matches (six qualifiers and five at the World Cup). In his last eight World Cup knockout matches, Messi has contributed to 13 goals (seven goals and six assists).
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