ISLAMABAD: Spain have been crowned FIFA World Cup 2026 champions for the second time in their history, defeating defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time in a dominant final performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Substitute Ferran Torres emerged as the hero, scoring the decisive goal in the 106th minute to seal victory in front of 80,000 fans, adding to Spain’s maiden World Cup triumph in 2010.
🇪🇸Casillas, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, David Villa, Sergio Ramos, Jesús Navas, Fernando Llorente…
the reaction of every legend from Spain’s 2010 World Cup-winning team to Ferran Torres’ goal that sealed Spain’s second star!
Writer: Samuelpic.twitter.com/G6i1hM1OW0
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 20, 2026
The tournament delivered a spectacular showcase of footballing talent across the expanded 48-team competition hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico. With 104 matches played across 16 host cities, the statistics have painted a fascinating picture of the tournament’s standout performers, from shot-stopping goalkeepers to prolific goalscorers, possession-dominating midfielders to relentless pressing forwards.
Here are the records you may have missed from the 2026 @FIFAWorldCup ⚽https://t.co/GLMBINfxEC
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) July 20, 2026
Paraguay’s Orlando Gill emerged as the tournament’s premier shot-stopper with an extraordinary 28 saves, leading the goalkeeping charts and playing a pivotal role in his nation’s unexpected quarter-final run. His heroic penalty shootout performance against Germany in the Round of 32, where he saved Nick Woltemade’s fourth penalty at Boston Stadium on June 29, was one of the defining moments of the competition.
Read Also: Spain Beat Argentina in Extra Time to Win World Cup, Shatter Messi’s Dream
France’s Kylian Mbappé claimed the adidas Golden Boot with four goals and four assists, his 41 attempts at goal and 23 attempts on target underlining his status as the tournament’s most dangerous attacking player. The 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward led all players in expected goals with 6.54, showcasing his ability to consistently find high-quality scoring positions.
⚽📊 Interesting stats from 2026 World Cup
🏆 308 goals scored in 104 matches, averaging 2.96 goals per game.
🏆 Host stadiums welcomed 6,810,966 spectators, averaging 65,490 per match.
🏆 Mohamed Hany, Egypt’s defender, only player to score two own goals.@presstvsports pic.twitter.com/KhCieK4AiR
— Press TV Sports (@presstvsports) July 20, 2026
Spain established themselves as the tournament’s most statistically dominant side, boasting an extraordinary seven clean sheets from eight matches and leading all teams in passes completed with 4,945. Their possession-based approach, anchored by midfield metronome Rodri who led all players with 799 passes and 96,233.71 metres covered, proved to be the foundation of their championship success.
WE News English comprehensive statistical review examines the key performers across all categories as Spain celebrated their second World Cup title.
Goalkeeping Excellence: Who saved the most goals?
Orlando Gill of Paraguay leads all goalkeepers with 28 saves, his exceptional reflexes, positioning and bravery proving vital in Paraguay’s quarter-final run. The Paraguayan shot-stopper was at his best when it mattered most, producing a series of world-class saves, including his decisive penalty stop against Germany in the Round of 32.
h🧤 EL MUNDIAL QUE CONSAGRÓ A ORLANDO GILL
🇵🇾 El arquero paraguayo cerró la Copa del Mundo con un rendimiento sobresaliente y terminó en lo más alto de un ranking que reúne a los mejores guardametas del torneo.
👀 ¿Con cuántas atajadas se quedó con el primer lugar y quiénes… pic.twitter.com/25Si2JRwCL
— América Paraguay (@AmericaTVPy) July 18, 2026
Eloy Room of Curacao follows with 21 saves, despite his nation’s early exit, while Emiliano Martínez of Argentina, Gregor Kobel of Switzerland and Diogo Costa of Portugal have each made 20 saves. Martínez’s crucial stops against Egypt in the Round of 16 were instrumental in Argentina’s progression, while his 11 saves in the final,the most by any goalkeeper on record in a World Cup final, kept Argentina in the contest until extra time.
Read Also: Why Boos Greeted Trump and Infantino at World Cup Trophy Ceremony
Jordan Pickford of England and Yassine Bounou of Morocco registered 19 saves each, with Pickford’s performance against Norway helping secure England’s 2-1 quarter-final victory. Vozinha of Cape Verde made 18 saves, while Zion Suzuki of Japan and Mohammed Alowais of Saudi Arabia each made 17 saves, demonstrating the depth of goalkeeping talent in the expanded tournament.
Defensive Resilience: Who kept the most clean sheets?
Spain lead all teams with seven clean sheets from eight matches, having conceded just one goal across the entire tournament—the fewest by any winning team in World Cup history. Their defensive organisation, built around a high line and aggressive pressing, was the foundation of their success, with goalkeeper Unai Simon keeping seven clean sheets and earning the Golden Glove award. His dramatic save against Austria in the Round of 32 at Los Angeles Stadium on July 2 epitomised their resilience.
All the records Spain broke during the World Cup:
Most clean sheets – 7
Least goals conceded – 1
Oldest Manager to win the World Cup – Luis de la Fuente
Longest unbeaten run in competitive Men’s matches – 38
🇪🇸 🇪🇸 🇪🇸
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) July 19, 2026
France follow with four clean sheets, while Colombia and Mexico also registered four shutouts each. Argentina, Morocco, England, Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire and Paraguay all kept two clean sheets, highlighting the defensive quality among the tournament’s contenders.
Golden Boot Race: Who were the top scorers?
Kylian Mbappé of France won the adidas Golden Boot with four goals and four assists, his 41 attempts at goal and 23 attempts on target making him the tournament’s most prolific attacking threat. His expected goals figure of 6.54 was the highest in the tournament, indicating his consistency in finding scoring positions.
Mbappé fires his way to the adidas Golden Boot 🔥@adidasfootball pic.twitter.com/B7czVjLCCU
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 20, 2026
Lionel Messi of Argentina was equally influential with four goals and four assists, his xG of 6.18 placing him second behind Mbappé. Jude Bellingham of England scored seven goals with one assist, making him the tournament’s top scorer by raw numbers, while Erling Haaland of Norway also scored seven goals without providing an assist.
Ousmane Dembélé of France scored six goals with two assists, Harry Kane of England had six goals with one assist, and Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain scored five goals with one assist. Ismaila Sarr of Senegal, Julian Quinones of Mexico and Vinicius Junior of Brazil each scored four goals with one assist.
Assists: Who created the most goals?
Michael Olise of France led the assists chart with seven, the young winger’s creativity and crossing ability providing numerous opportunities for his teammates. Martin Ødegaard of Norway, Kylian Mbappé of France, Brahim Diaz of Morocco, Bruno Guimarães of Brazil and Lionel Messi of Argentina each registered four assists.
🚨🚨| If Michael Olise wins the 2026 FIFA World Cup Top Assister, he will become the 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 player to win the:
→Bundesliga Top Assister
→UEFA Champions League Top Assister
→FIFA World Cup Top AssisterAll in the same season. 🐐🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/3ZzsVhFoxy
— Mupa 🇫🇷 (@mupalad) July 19, 2026
Roberto Alvarado of Mexico, Anthony Gordon of England, Florian Wirtz of Germany and Andreas Schjelderup of Norway each made three assists, demonstrating the creative talent on display throughout the tournament.
Passing Statistics: Who controlled possession?
Rodri of Spain stands alone as the tournament’s most prolific passer with 799 total passes and 747 completions, his intelligent positioning and range of passing dictating the tempo of matches. The Manchester City midfielder also led all players in total distance covered with 96,233.71 metres. In the final, Rodri completed over 100 passes, joining an exclusive group of players to achieve that feat in a World Cup decider.
🇪🇸 Rodri 2026 FIFA World Cup Stats:
🏟️ 8 games
⚔️ 41 defensive contributions
🎯 93.2% pass accuracy
👟 756 successful passes
🪄 11 chances created
🛡️ 26 tackles
🔄 40 recoveries
⭐️ 7.86 average rating
🥇 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
🏆 FIFA World Cup winner (2026)Player of the… pic.twitter.com/AhiG7la0gO
— SportPremi (@SportPremi) July 19, 2026
Pau Cubarsí of Spain was a revelation with 690 passes and 668 completions, the teenage Barcelona defender showing remarkable composure on the ball and earning the tournament’s Best Young Player award. Aymeric Laporte of Spain excelled with 660 passes and 618 completions, while Leandro Paredes of Argentina led his country with 565 passes and 532 completions.
Marc Guehi of England made 532 passes and 514 completions, while Enzo Fernandez of Argentina contributed 519 passes and 480 completions. Ezri Konsa of England made 488 passes, Manuel Akanji of Switzerland 479, Marc Cucurella of Spain 474 and Granit Xhaka of Switzerland 470.
Spain led all teams with 5,470 total passes and 4,945 completions, followed by Argentina with 5,248 passes and 4,699 completions. France sat third with 4,318 passes, while England had 4,014 passes and Morocco surprisingly made the top five with 3,665 passes.
Attacking Intent: Who took the most shots?
Mbappé led all players with 41 attempts at goal and 23 attempts on target, his willingness to shoot from anywhere proving a constant threat. Messi followed with 35 attempts, while Lamine Yamal of Spain made 27 attempts. Mikel Oyarzabal and Harry Kane each made 23 attempts, while Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé each made 20 attempts.
Kylian Mbappé’s 2026 World Cup by numbers:
41 shots (most)
39 take-ons attempted (second-most)
23 shots on target (most)
18 chances created (joint-second most)
10 goals scored (most)
8 goals scored from open play (most)
4 assists
6.87 xGAn incredible tournament. 👏 https://t.co/1JVRItPUop
— Squawka (@Squawka) July 18, 2026
Spain led all teams with 140 attempts at goal, followed closely by France with 139 attempts. England made 118 attempts, Argentina 115, Belgium 112, Colombia 94, Canada 81, while Switzerland, Germany and Brazil completed the top ten with 74, 74 and 73 attempts respectively.
France led the tournament in attempts on target with 59, followed by Spain with 54, England with 52 and Argentina with 46. In the final, Spain created 20 shots to Argentina’s zero during regulation time, with 11 on target.
Read Also: Spain’s World Cup Champions Head Home to Million-Strong Madrid Welcome
Pressing Statistics: Who forced the most turnovers?
Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain led all players with 58 forced turnovers, his tireless running and intelligent positioning disrupting opposition build-up play. Pedri of Spain and Morocco’s Neil El Aynaoui each registered 51 forced turnovers, while Michael Olise of France made 50 and Enzo Fernandez of Argentina registered 46.
#DATO ¡¡¡8 horas para que empiece la FINAL del Mundial!!!
MIKEL OYARZÁBAL es el jugador del Mundial 2026 que MÁS ERRORES del rival provoca. Hasta en 53 ocasiones una presión suya provocó que el rival fallase.
🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/tS04W6lxaM
— Fran Martínez (@LaLigaenDirecto) July 19, 2026
Spain as a team forced 399 turnovers, the highest total in the competition, followed by Argentina with 351, France with 330, Switzerland with 285, England with 274, Belgium with 263, Morocco with 262, Paraguay with 249, Canada with 228 and Egypt with 224.
Take-Ons: Who completed the most dribbles?
Lamine Yamal of Spain completed 35 take-ons, the most of any player, his electrifying dribbling making him one of the tournament’s most exciting young talents. At 19, he became the third-youngest player to appear in a World Cup final. Mbappé followed with 28 take-ons, Messi with 25, Vinicius Junior with 23, and Jeremy Doku of Belgium with 21.
Lamine Yamal shared a heartwarming moment with his younger brother, Keyne, after Spain’s World Cup triumph.
The emotional postgame celebration showed the two embracing on the pitch as Spain celebrated becoming world champions, giving fans one of the sweetest moments of the… pic.twitter.com/70WVzvNzTE
— A Miller (@amilleraz0) July 20, 2026
France led the tournament in completed take-ons with 87, followed by England with 85, Spain with 74, Belgium with 68, Morocco with 66, USA with 65, Argentina and Portugal with 58 each, Côte d’Ivoire with 52 and Algeria with 48.
Distance Covered: Who ran the most?
Rodri led all players with 96,233.71 metres covered, his relentless running making him the engine of Spain’s midfield. Alexis Mac Allister of Argentina followed with 90,561.77 metres, while Marc Cucurella of Spain covered 87,986.05 metres, Pau Cubarsí 85,956.03 metres, and Michael Olise 84,499.58 metres.
655 accurate passes (The World Cup record).
11.3 kilometers covered per game.
22 tackles.When you watch Rodri, you watch the whole game. pic.twitter.com/FPQpXi1irq
— People Of The Internet (@PeopleOfTheInt) July 19, 2026
Argentina led all teams with 955,124.09 metres covered, followed by Spain with 947,574.41, England with 918,867.71, France with 879,396.52, Belgium with 739,536.58, Norway with 733,932.11, Switzerland with 728,266.23, Morocco with 697,958.10, Egypt with 605,207.25 and USA with 594,895.11.
Expected Goals: Who created the best chances?
Mbappé led all players with an expected goals figure of 6.54, the highest in the tournament, followed by Messi with 6.18, Haaland with 4.62, Oyarzabal with 4.33, Bellingham with 3.92, Kane with 3.69, Ismaila Sarr with 3.68, Vinicius Junior with 3.24, Raul Jimenez of Mexico with 3.00 and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal with 2.94.
🔥 KYLIAN MBAPPÉ 2026 WORLD CUP STATS
**Shooting**
• Goals: 10
• xG: 6.87
• xG on target: 9.05
• Penalty goals: 1
• Shots: 41
• Shots on target: 23**Passing**
• Assists: 4
• xA: 1.64
• Successful passes: 201 (85.9%)
• Chances created: 18
• Big… pic.twitter.com/koNTTNgCZ0— Tendo M.S Kevin (@TendoKevin) July 19, 2026
Spain led all teams with an expected goals figure of 17.48, followed by France with 16.78, Argentina with 15.45, England with 15.03, Brazil with 10.88, Belgium with 10.62 and Norway with 9.93.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 delivered a statistical feast, with Orlando Gill emerging as the tournament’s shot-stopping hero with 28 saves, Kylian Mbappé claiming the Golden Boot with four goals and four assists, and Spain dominating possession and defensive metrics with seven clean sheets and 4,945 passes completed on their way to a second World Cup title.
President Donald J. Trump presents the World Cup Trophy to Spain, the 2026 @FIFAWorldCup Champions! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/SHsoBhYm1b
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 19, 2026
Spain’s 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina, secured by Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute strike, capped a remarkable tournament for La Roja, who conceded just one goal across eight matches and completed an unbeaten run of 38 matches across all competitions, the longest streak by any European team in history.
Also Read: Ten Takeaways from the 2026 World Cup
For Argentina and Lionel Messi, playing in what is widely expected to be his sixth and final World Cup, the result marked a heartbreaking end to their title defence, though Martínez’s record 11 saves in the final ensured the defending champions remained competitive until the very end.
