Ismaila Sarr equals Ismael Saibari's historic FIFA World Cup achievement

Both African stars have scored goals consistently.

Two African players have accomplished something no one from the continent has done in over a century of World Cup football. Senegal’s Ismaïla Sarr and Morocco’s Ismael Saibari scored in three consecutive matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A tournament milestone that no African player had previously accomplished.

The Senegalese and Moroccan strikers rewrote the record books during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ushering in a new chapter for African football on a global scale.

Ismaïla Sarr & Ismael Saibari create history at World Cup as African players

Saibari’s run was a lesson in consistency. The PSV Eindhoven midfielder scored in all three of Morocco’s group stage games against Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti.

Sarr, meanwhile, did more than simply tie the record for straight scoring games. He went further. The Senegalese attacker scored four goals.

Three in Senegal’s group stage and one in the knockout round. It equalled Roger Milla’s single-tournament record for an African player, which had stood since the 1990 World Cup in Italy. That’s 36 years of history rewritten in a matter of weeks.

Sarr came into the 2026 edition with previous World Cup experience, having scored in the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Morocco‘s advance to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was already a historic occasion. Now, with Saibari scoring against a side like Brazil in the group stage, it’s apparent that his performance was not a fluke.

Consider the players who did not succeed in comparison to Ismaila Sarr and Ismael Saibari. Eto’o, probably the greatest African striker of all time, has never scored in three straight World Cup games. Neither did Asamoah Gyan, Africa’s all-time top World Cup scorer.

Ismaila Sarr’s four goals in a single tournament merit their own context. Matching Roger Milla’s 1990 mark places him beside a player who was 38 years old when he established the record. Sarr accomplished it while being several years younger.

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