World Cup assist leaderboard: Morocco’s Diaz chases Olise as quarter-finals begin

Morocco’s Brahim Diaz will head into the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals as one of the tournament’s leading creators after the Round of 16 concluded without any changes at the top of the assists standings.

The Atlas Lions midfielder has registered four assists in Morocco’s five matches and remains within touching distance of leader Michael Olise, whose five assists have helped France reach the last eight.

Diaz will have an immediate opportunity to close the gap when Morocco face France on Thursday in one of the tournament’s most anticipated quarter-final fixtures.

Messi breaks Maradona’s World Cup record

Argentina captain Lionel Messi also reached a significant milestone during his side’s Round of 16 victory over Egypt, providing his first assist of the 2026 tournament to take his career World Cup total to nine.

The landmark moved Messi ahead of Diego Maradona as the competition’s all-time leading assist provider. Despite the achievement, his single assist in this year’s tournament leaves him well behind the leading creators in the 2026 standings.

France’s Michael Olise remains top of the leaderboard with five assists, adding his latest in the victory over Paraguay to strengthen his position at the summit.

Quarter-finals could reshape the standings

Brazil’s Bruno Guimaraes also finished with four assists, but his hopes of climbing higher ended following his country’s elimination from the tournament.

A group of players sit one assist further back on three, including Arsenal duo Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, Benfica midfielder Andreas Schjelderup, Mexico’s Roberto Alvarado, Sweden striker Alexander Isak and Germany’s Florian Wirtz.

With the World Cup entering its final stages, the remaining contenders will be looking to close the gap on Messi’s all-time record of nine World Cup assists. They also have Pele’s long-standing mark of six assists in a single World Cup, set in 1970, within reach.

Attention now turns to the quarter-finals, where Morocco’s meeting with France could have a major impact on the race to finish as the tournament’s leading playmaker.