Most shots? Best dribbler? World Cup so far in numbers

June 18, 2026 No Comments

Most shots? Best dribbler? World Cup so far in numbers Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lionel Messi is the World Cup’s top scorer after one round of matchesByChris CollinsonBBC Sport statisticianPublished48 minutes agoThe World Cup has already provided plenty of action.In the twenty four matches so far, 75 goals have been scored with the 3.125 goal per game ratio the highest it has been after the first set of group matches since 1958.Despite concerns about the extended nature of this World Cup, there is no problem with the competitive nature of the tournament either. Nine of the 24 matches have ended in a draw.The 37.5% draw ratio is actually the highest at this stage since 2010 – when it was the same – and has only been higher once since 1954.With the first round of games complete, here are the stand-out player stats at the World Cup so far.From one to 48 – every World Cup team ranked after first game

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Sharp shooters… or not

Six players took six shots or more in their opening game but only two actually found the back of the net – England’s Harry Kane and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

Kane’s double drew him level with Gary Lineker as England’s all-time top scorer at the World Cup with 10 goals, while Messi’s hat-trick saw him equal Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the all-time top scorer in the tournament’s history with 16 goals.

Turkey’s Arda Guler has taken the most shots at the tournament so far, although the fact that his eight attempts amounted to just 0.26 xG in total shows how optimistic his shooting was against Australia.

While the Real Madrid youngster is obviously far more talented than the average player, the quality of shots he took means that historically a player would score once every 31 attempts.

South Korea’s Son Heung-min was the worst finisher in the opening round based on expected goals as he failed to score from six chances totalling 1.0 xG – a surprising fact given that the former Tottenham man was one of most ruthless finishers during his time in the Premier League.

24 players have a 100% shot conversion rate so far but only two have taken more than one shot – Sweden’s Yasin Ayari and New Zealand’s Elijah Just, who have both scored twice.

Seven players created five chances in their opening game but only Germany’s Joshua Kimmich saw his teammates take advantage as he claimed two assists in the 7-1 win against Curaçao.

Who was the most creative?

Spain’s Pedri did all he could to help his team break the deadlock against Cape Verde as he was the most creative player in the first round in terms of expected assists (1.23). He also won possession in the final third six times, twice as often as any other player at the World Cup.

Ivory Coast’s matchwinner Amad Diallo has been the best dribbler at the tournament so far. Despite only playing 34 minutes as a substitute, the Manchester United man has completed the most dribbles and has the best success rate among the 32 players to attempt five or more.

Vinícius Junior scored Brazil’s equaliser against Morocco but was unable to dribble past his opponent with any of his nine attempts in the game. No other player has attempted more than four dribbles without success at the World Cup so far.

Who won their battles?

When it comes to players winning their individual battles, Panama’s Jiovany Ramos and Senegal’s Krépin Diatta were the kings of the 50-50s in the first round. Of the 158 players that battled in 10 duels or more, those two came out victorious more often that not, even if it wasn’t enough to help their teams win overall.

A special mention should go to Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Jovo Lukic who was absolutely flawless in the air against Canada, winning all nine of his aerial duels. No other player at the tournament that has battled for the ball in the air more than four times has fallen back to earth undefeated.