Michael Olise Makes History, Records the Most Assists to Break Pelé's Record

France national team midfielder Michael Olise has etched his name into world football history after breaking the record for the most assists in a single World Cup tournament. This record, which had stood unbroken for over five decades, was previously held by Brazilian legend Pelé, set during the 1970 World Cup.

This historic moment occurred during France's third-place play-off match against England at the 2026 World Cup on Sunday. In the fixture that ended with a 4-6 defeat for France, Olise was introduced from the bench at the start of the second half to replace Rayan Cherki.

It took the 24-year-old no time at all to make an impact, immediately laying on an assist for Kylian Mbappé's goal. That pass brought Olise's total assist count for the entire tournament to seven.

This tally officially confirmed Olise as the player with the most assists at the 2026 World Cup, and secured him the tournament's assist king title.

Olise's dominance is highlighted by the sizeable statistical gap over his competitors. Kylian Mbappé, Bruno Guimarães, Martin Ødegaard and Brahim Díaz all concluded the competition with four assists each, three full assists behind Olise's final haul.

Beyond topping the assist charts for the 2026 edition, Olise also broke the all-time record for the most assists ever recorded in a single World Cup finals tournament.

Prior to this milestone, the record belonged to Pelé, who registered six assists while leading Brazil to World Cup glory in 1970 Mexico. That legendary record stood for 56 years before being surpassed by Olise's seven assist total.

This achievement provided a bittersweet high note to Olise's outstanding tournament form. While France failed to secure third place and finished the World Cup in fourth position, Olise leaves the competition with historic honours as the new holder of the all-time record for most assists in a single World Cup edition.