Squawka analyses all the key player metrics from the 2026 World Cup, from goals, shots, passing and duels, to possession, discipline and defending.
Using Squawka’s data tables, we break down the players who dominated statistically across every area of the pitch, highlighting the standout performers and surprise names from another thrilling World Cup.
Note: Use the toggle to view the highest and lowest-ranked players for each statistic.
Goal statistics
Top goalscorers: Kylian Mbappe became the first player to win back-to-back World Cup Golden Boots. The Frenchman did it with 10 goals this summer, the only player to hit double figures. He finished two goals clear of Lionel Messi and also overtook the Argentine as the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer. Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham finished on seven goals.
Winning goals: Mbappe also sat joint-top with four winning goals, level alongside Haaland.
Penalty goals: Harry Kane scored six goals at the World Cup, two of which came from the penalty spot. He was the only player to score more than one penalty (excluding shootouts).
Non-penalty goals: Nine of Mbappe’s 10 goals at the World Cup were non-penalty goals, more than any other player.
Headed goals: Kane also led the World Cup for headed goals, scoring three. Charles De Ketelaere (two) was the only other player to score more than one headed goal.
Goals from inside the box: Given his amount of goals, it’s no surprise to see Mbappe top of this list. He scored eight goals from inside the box, one more than second-placed Bellingham.
Goals from outside the box: Mbappe, Messi, Ousmane Dembele, Yasin Ayari and Malik Tillman also scored two goals from outside the box at the World Cup this summer.
Goal contributions: Mbappe led the World Cup with 14 direct goal contributions. He added four assists to his 14 goals, placing him two contributions clear of Messi.
Own goals: There were 14 own goals at the World Cup this summer. Egypt’s Mohamed Hany was the only player to score more than one own goal. The first came in the opening draw with Belgium, before another against Australia.
Shooting statistics
Shots on target: More stats that Mbappe wins at the World Cup. He was the only player to reach at least 20 shots on target at the World Cup, hitting 23 in total.
Shots off target: Mbappe also ranked first for shots off target with 13, with Messi the only other player to hit double digits.
Shots (excluding blocks): Unsurprisingly, Mbappe had more shots (excluding blocks) than any other player at the World Cup. He was the only player to have at least 30, totalling 36. Messi and Lamine Yamal joined him in the top three with 28 and 20, respectively.
Shots blocked: Leandro Trossard had more shots blocked than any other player. He had 12 in total, the only player to hit double figures. Luis Diaz and Kenan Yildiz were next up with nine blocked shots each.
Shots from set-pieces: There wasn’t an outright winner for players with shots from set-pieces. A total of 17 different players were all level with two each. They include Folarin Balogun, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Emam Ashour, Neil El Aynaoui, Elliot Anderson and Davinson Sanchez.
Hit woodwork: Seven different players hit the woodwork twice at the World Cup this summer. Mbappe was one of them, as was Mac Allister. Michael Olise, Ismaila Sarr, Ferran Torres, Lautaro Martinez and John Yeboah also all hit the woodwork twice.
Passing statistics
Assists: Michael Olise made history in 2026. He provided seven assists for France, the most of any player in a single World Cup tournament. He sat three clear of any player, with Mbappe, Martin Odegaard, Brahim Diaz, Bruno Guimaraes and Messi all providing four assists.
Chances created: Messi sat clear at the top of the chances created chart, with 25 in total. He was the only player to hit 20+, seven more than Olise, Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele (18).
Passes completed: Rodri sat top of the pass chart, completing 756 of his attempts. He unsurprisingly leads a trio of Spanish players, with Pau Cubarsi (671) and Aymeric Laporte (616) second and third, respectively.
Long passes completed: Goalkeepers topped the rankings here, with Orjan Nyland completing 49 long passes. He was 11 clear of Orlando Gill. But Rodri did complete the top three, with 37 completed long passes.
Crosses completed: Messi again features prominently, with 20 crosses completed. Declan Rice and Stephen Eustaquio were joint-second, with 16 crosses completed.
Open-play crosses completed: Messi also sits top for open-play crosses completed, but that number drops down to eight. He is joined on that number by three other players, matched by Noni Madueke, Pedro Porro and Marcel Sabitzer.
Corners taken: A lot of crosses came from corners, and the top three takers also completed the most crosses. Eustaquio took the most corners with 44, six ahead of Messi (38) and 14 clear of Rice’s 30.
Through-balls: The World Cup’s most-creative players led for through-balls. Michael Olise made 18 at the World Cup, with Messi not too far behind on 15. They were the only players to hit double figures, and Pedri came in third with nine through-balls.
Final third passes completed: Rodri, unsurprisingly, completed more final third passes than any other player. He was the only one at the World Cup to complete at least 200, with 204 in total. Compatriot Pedri was second (189), with Olise (167) completing the top three.
Forward passes: Laporte (228) and Cubarsi (226) were the only two players to accumulate over 200 forward passes. Lisandro Martinez was third on 168.
Duels statistics
Tackles made: Rodri made more tackles than any other player, adding to his passing masterclasses. The Spaniard made 26 at the World Cup, three more than Andres Cubas. Juan Jose Caceres made 22, with three other players hitting the 20+ mark.
Last man tackles made: Seven different players made two last-man tackles, the joint-most at the World Cup. They were Djed Spence, Diney Borges, Ramy Bensebaini, Cubarsi, Mathias Olivera, Yazan Al Arab and Marc Guehi.
Take-ons completed: Messi took the crown for most take-ons completed at the World Cup, with 28. He sat one clear of protege Lamine Yamal, who finished with 27 despite playing fewer minutes.
Fouls won: Messi also won the most fouls at the World Cup, with 20. And Argentina will feel like it should have been a lot more. Jeremy Doku won 18 and Bellingham won 17.
Fouls committed: Neil El Aynaoui (15) committed more fouls than any other player at the World Cup this summer. But it was close, with Cubas and Yamal (both 14) finishing pretty close.
Penalties won: Twenty different players won one penalty at the World Cup this summer, with no one managing more. These include Spence, Casemiro, Yamal, Desire Doue, Matheus Cunha, Anthony Gordon, Mbappe and Madueke.
Duels won: Messi (61) won more duels than any other player at the World Cup. He was one of three players to win at least 50. The other two were Elliot Anderson (56) and Bellingham (50).
Aerial duels won: Australian centre-back Harry Souttar won 21 aerial duels at the World Cup, more than any oth erplayer. He sat two clear of Anderson (19) with Kristoffer Ajer and Laporte (both 18) not too far behind.
Ground duels won: Unsurprisingly, Messi won more ground duels than any other player, with 59. He was 10 clear of closest rival, Bellingham. Olise and Yamal both won 47 aerial duels, opening up a gap to the rest below them.
Possession statistics
Ball recoveries: Goalkeepers dominated this category, with Spain’s Unai Simon leading the way on 88 ball recoveries. Emiliano Martinez and Mike Maignan were joint-second, with 55 recoveries.
Possession lost: Attacking players lead this metric, and it’s the star names. Messi (156) lost possession more time than any other player at the World Cup, 10 more than Yamal’s 146. Olise (125), Dembele (117) and Mbappe (100) were the other players with at least 100 possessions lost.
Touches: A Spanish trio led the way for touches at the World Cup. Rodri unsurprisingly had the most, with 910. It’s over 100 more than any other player, with compatriot’s Cubarsi (776) and Laporte (737) completing the top three.
Offsides: Colombia winger Luis Diaz (nine) was caught offside more than any other player at the 2026 World Cup. Yamal and Mbappe were both caught offside seven times.
Touches in opposition box: Mbappe had more touches in the opposition box than any other player, hitting 69 at the World Cup. Yamal (57) was the only other player to have at least 50, while Mikel Oyarzabal was third with 48.
Times tackled: Another metric featuring all the big attackers, Messi was tackled 38 times at the World Cup. Mbappe (37), Yamal (35) and Olise (30) were also tackled fairly often.
Defence & Goalkeeper statistics
Clearances: Nico Elvedi led the World Cup for his 48 clearances, five more than any other player. Tarik Muharemovic (43) and Brandon Mechele (40) completed the top three.
Interceptions: Upamecano and Laporte (15) sat joint-top for interceptions at the World Cup this summer, making impact from centre-back. Adrien Rabiot, Cubas, Mac Allister and Al Arab (all 11) were their closest rivals.
Clean sheets: Spain’s Unai Simon kept seven clean sheets en route to winning the Golden Glove at the World Cup. It was three more than any other goalkeeper, sitting ahead of Camilo Vargas and Mike Maignan.
Goals conceded: Three goalkeepers reached double figures for goals conceded at the World Cup. Mike Maignan was one of them, though he played seven games for those 10 goals conceded. And six came in the third-place play-off. He was joined on 10 goals conceded by Mahmoud Abunada and Max Crocombe.
Saves made: Orlando Gill was the busiest goalkeeper at the 2026 World Cup, making 23 saves. There were three more players all level on 20 saves. They were Gregor Kobel, Eloy Room and Emiliano Martinez — the latter making 11 saves in the World Cup Final.
Penalties saved: Mostafa Shobeir was the only goalkeeper to save two penalties in the World Cup, outside of shootouts. Nyland, Yassine Bounou and Maignan also saved in-game penalties.
Discipline
Yellow cards: Issa Diop was the only player to be booked three times at the 2026 World Cup. There were a further 31 players all with two cards each.
Red cards: Fifteen different players were sent off at the World Cup, including three in the opening game. Yaya Ithole, Cesar Montes and Themba Zwane all saw red in Mexico vs South Africa. Enzo Fernandez was the last man to be sent off, receiving his marching orders in the World Cup Final.
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