Want to see who has won the most tackles at the 2026 World Cup so far? Check the latest stats below.
Tackles won is one of the most telling defensive stats in football. It shows who is winning individual battles, breaking up attacks and helping their team regain possession. Here is who is leading the way at World Cup 2026.
Player tackle stats
Team tackle stats
What Counts as a Tackle Won?
A tackle is recorded by Opta when a player attempts to win the ball from an opponent in a one-versus-one situation. It is only counted as won if the player successfully dispossesses their opponent and retains or releases the ball.
Attempted tackles that fail to win possession are logged separately. This keeps the tackles won stat clean and meaningful. It specifically measures defensive success, not just effort.
Ground Duels Won, Ground Duel Success Rate and Last Man Tackles
Tackles won sits alongside several related defensive metrics. Ground duels won, ground duel success rate and last man tackles all paint a fuller picture of a player’s defensive impact.
Ground duels cover a broader range of physical contests. They include tackles but also challenges where neither player cleanly wins the ball. A high ground duels won total shows a player is regularly competing and coming out on top in physical battles.
Ground duel success rate adds important context. A player making fewer duels but winning a high percentage is being selective and effective. A player with a low success rate may be losing more battles than they win, even if their raw numbers look reasonable.
Last man tackles are a category of their own. These are challenges made when the attacker has beaten the defensive line and only the last defender stands between them and goal. Winning one of these can be as valuable as a goal. It requires composure, timing and no margin for error. Players who appear regularly in this category are trusted defensive performers.
Together, these four stats give a thorough view of who is dominating their defensive duels at the tournament.
Who won the most tackles at the 2022 World Cup?
Jude Bellingham and Achraf Hakimi shared the lead at Qatar 2022, each winning 11 tackles across the tournament. Bellingham drew particular praise for his defensive contributions, having also been one of England’s most impactful players in attack.
Morocco as a team led all sides for tackles won, with 56 across the tournament. France were second with 52.
Who has won the most tackles in World Cup history?
Brazil’s Dunga holds the all-time record for tackles won at the World Cup, with 73 across his career, according to Opta’s records going back 60 years. He also led all outfield players for touches and completed passes in that period, underlining just how dominant he was as a midfield presence across multiple tournaments.
As with other defensive stats, comprehensive data does not exist for the earliest World Cups. The all-time figures are based on the period where full event data is available. Players from earlier generations cannot be reliably compared on this metric.
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