Sports
7 Incredible Premier League Records That Could Be Broken in 2026
Fans of the Premier League always keep an eye on records as the season progresses, and there are seven which could be eclipsed once the campaign concludes in May 2026. We’re at the midway point of what has been an enthralling season, and some of its participants are looking to make history for all the right reasons, while others are for all the wrong reasons.
Tuning into games on television gives supporters an insight into potential records to be shattered and that includes Manchester United’s remarkable Old Trafford feat. The Red Devils haven’t lost a game at their stomping ground when winning at half-time since May 1984.
That is simply unbelievable and remains intact after United’s 4-4 draw against Bournemouth earlier this month. But which Premier League records are still there for the taking as we enter 2026?
Opta have put together a list of seven records that could be broken by the time the final whistle blows on the 2025-26 campaign.
Most Goals By a Player in a Season
This one was obvious because of Erling Haaland’s freakish goalscoring consistency, and the Manchester City striker has the chance to break his own record. The Norwegian struck 36 goals in the 2022-23 campaign, breaking a previous record shared by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer for 28 years.
An injury-plagued past campaign caused Haaland to finish second in the Golden Boot race, but he is nailed on to reclaim the honour next May. He sits on 19 goals in 18 games ahead of City’s meeting with Sunderland on New Year’s Day.
Haaland is scoring a goal every 77 minutes he’s on the pitch, and at that rate, you wouldn’t put it past him to surpass his tally of 36 goals from his debut campaign. He has 20 more matches to find the back of the net 18 times, and he might be eyeing the Manchester Derby on January 17th, a fixture in which he has hit four goals in six league games.
Most Assists in a Premier League Season
The race to finish as this season’s top assister is on and Rayan Cherki has an advantage over Bruno Fernandes amid the Manchester United captain’s injury. The rivals sit joint top of the rankings with seven each heading into the new year.
That means they will need to take their playmaking brilliance up a gear to break the record of most assists in a Premier League season. Arsenal icon Thierry Henry’s tally of 20 in the 2002-03 season was matched by City legend Kevin de Bruyne in 2019-20.
Cherki is the likeliest to reach that mark given his assists have occurred with 644 minutes of game time in comparison to Fernandes, whose output comes from 1,477 minutes of playing time. The French attacker has come to the fore in recent months and December was a glorious one for Pep Guardiola’s summer signing, posting four assists in four outings.
There’s a strong case that the 22-year-old is the signing of the season, and he is creating more goals than any player in the competition’s history. He sits on an average of 92 minutes per assist, bettering that of Cesc Fabregas, whose record of five or more assists came with an average of 111 minutes of football in 2016-17.
Youngest Premier League Goalscorer
James Vaughan holds the record for the youngest goalscorer in top-flight history, having scored for Everton against West Ham United at the age of 16 and 270 days in April 2005. It’s every youngster’s dream to make history when scoring their first goal, and Max Dowman has the opportunity to do so.
The Arsenal wonderkid has already made his league debut, although he missed out on the title of youngest player in history. He debuted aged 15 years and 235 days, just short of the Gunners’ Ethan Nwaneri who famously came on against Brentford at the age of 15 and 181 days in September 2022.
Dowman’s 16th birthday came on New Year’s Eve, and he has until September 26, 2026, to try and score his first Premier League goal and surpass Vaughan in the process. He will need to recover from an ankle ligament injury, which has kept him sidelined since November, if he’s to become a record-breaker this season.
Mikel Arteta seems to trust the England U19 international and that could benefit his mission to become the league’s youngest-ever goalscorer. But he’ll likely continue to be handed limited game time having only appeared twice off the bench so far this season.
Most Last-Minute Winners in a Season
Rio Ngumoha’s last-gasp winner against Newcastle United is one of 16 goals decided by a goal in the very last minute of the game. As Premier League games enter the dying embers, it’s exciting for neutrals: 8.6% of matches have been won after a goal in the 90th minute or later.
That’s leading to the possibility of this season ending with the record for most last-minute winners being set. Only nine more are required in the next 194 games for the record of 27 (7.1%) set in 2023-24 to be broken.
Those intrigued by this record should keep an eye on Arsenal, whose set-piece mastery makes them a nightmare right at the death of games. This was put into practice by Gabriel Magalhaes when he headed home a 90+6th-minute winner against Newcastle.
Most Premier League Appearances in History
Whenever James Milner appears on fans’ television screens, they are quick to check how many more games he needs to play to break Gareth Barry’s appearance record. The veteran English midfielder sits on 648 Premier League appearances, and if any of the records on this list are to be broken, this is the one.
That could even happen in February as he could match the record when Brighton & Hove Albion host Everton at the Amex on January 31st. He is just five away from Barry’s 653 record, and his run in Fabian Hurzeler’s team since returning from a muscle injury suggests he’ll take a storming lead.
If the 39-year-old were to play every remaining game, he’d be the all-time appearance leader with 667 to his name. That should be a record that stands for decades, given that longevity is no longer prevalent in modern football.
Milner only played four games last season due to a knee operation, which required reconstruction, and he admitted he wasn’t sure he’d walk again, “never mind play football.” But he penned a new one-year deal after returning on the final day of the 2024-25 campaign and could end this one with another achievement to add to his long list of accomplishments.
Fewest Points in a Premier League Season
You won’t be surprised to see Wolverhampton Wanderers staring at the real possibility of breaking Derby County’s record of the fewest points tally the league has ever seen. That Rams team was dreadful and ended the 2007-08 season with just 11 points which Southampton only just avoided earlier this year after reaching 12.
Wolves’ relegation looks inevitable and halfway through the season they have three points and those were obtained through three draws. A 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on December 30th has given Rob Edwards’ side hope of at least dodging the dreaded Derby record.
That said, the statistics show that the Black Country outfit are on course to finish on six points. This would mean not only would they be the worst performers in the league’s history but also take just half of the points that the Rams managed 17 years ago.
Most Defeats in a Season
It could go from bad to worse for Wolves, and two of the most feared records in Premier League history are on the cards. With 16 losses in 19 games thus far Edwards’ Old Gold could bow out of the top-flight with the most defeats ever recorded.
Derby feature again, having been beaten 29 times during the 2007-08 season, although this record is shared with Ipswich Town, who endured constant thrashings in the 1994-95 season. The only difference is that it was a 42-game season, so the Rams can at least point out they had fewer fixtures.
Wolves’ form makes for grim reading, putting them on course to become the most defeated side in the competition’s history. If they were to lose the same number of games as they have at this stage of the season, they would finish on 32 losses.
Edwards’ aim might no longer be to avoid the drop, but to ensure his team doesn’t bid farewell to the top flight as the worst of the worst in history. With Newcastle United (January 18th) and Manchester City (January 24th) next month, it’s hard to see them picking up momentum anytime soon.
