Miami: France winger Michael Olise etched his name into FIFA World Cup history after breaking Pelé's long-standing record for the most assists in a single edition of the tournament.

The Bayern Munich star registered his seventh assist of the 2026 FIFA World Cup during France's dramatic 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place playoff, surpassing the Brazilian legend's record of six assists, which had stood since the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

The defeat also marked the end of Didier Deschamps' 14-year tenure as France head coach.

Olise provided two assists for captain Kylian Mbappé during the bronze-medal clash, taking his tournament total to seven and setting a new World Cup benchmark.

Olise's record-breaking run began in France's opening match against Senegal, where he assisted Mbappé before adding two assists each against Iraq and Sweden.

His two assists against England completed a remarkable tournament and established a new record for the most assists in a single FIFA World Cup edition.

Despite the achievement, Olise remains behind Lionel Messi on the all-time World Cup assists list, with the Argentina captain still holding the overall career record.

Outstanding club and international season

The 24-year-old also enjoyed a stellar 2025-26 season with Bayern Munich, finishing with 15 goals and 19 assists as the German giants won both the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal.

His creative brilliance continued on the international stage, where he emerged as one of France's standout performers throughout the World Cup.

Record comes in heartbreaking defeat

Olise's historic milestone came in a losing effort as France suffered a thrilling 6-4 defeat to England in one of the highest-scoring matches in World Cup history.

England raced into a stunning 4-0 halftime lead through goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a first-half brace from Bukayo Saka.

France responded after the break, with Mbappé scoring twice and Bradley Barcola pulling the team back into contention.

Mbappé's second goal also made history, taking his World Cup tally to 22 goals and moving him past Lionel Messi as the competition's all-time leading scorer.

However, Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot before Ousmane Dembélé scored deep into stoppage time. Jude Bellingham then sealed England's memorable victory with another late goal.