The last 32 provided the first real taste of knockout football at the 2026 World Cup, with fine margins, penalty shootouts and several standout individual performances shaping the last 16 line-up.

While France and Spain were among the most convincing winners with identical 3-0 victories over Sweden and Austria, respectively, three ties were settled on penalties as Paraguay, Morocco and Egypt held their nerve from the spot.

Those matches, along with dramatic wins for Belgium, Argentina, Portugal and England, also produced a fresh set of statistical leaders. We break down the standout performers in every key statistical category:

Mbappe, Oyarzabal, Kane and Tielemans set the pace

Kylian Mbappe fired France into the last 16 with a brace in the comprehensive 3-0 victory over Sweden, while Mikel Oyarzabal matched that tally as Spain comfortably swept Austria aside by the same scoreline.

England captain Harry Kane was equally decisive, scoring both goals in his side's hard-fought 2-1 victory over DR Congo, while Youri Tielemans inspired Belgium's dramatic 3-2 success against Senegal with two goals of his own.

Elsewhere, Gabriel Martinelli, Malik Tillman, Goncalo Ramos, Amad Diallo, Dan Ndoye and Emam Ashour all added a goal apiece in victories that secured progression or, in Ashour's case, kept Egypt alive before their eventual penalty shootout triumph over Australia.

Messi may not have topped the scoring chart this time, but the Argentina captain remained the most threatening player in front of goal, finishing the round with six shots on target during his side's thrilling 3-2 win over Cape Verde.

Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham and Oyarzabal all followed with four, highlighting just how influential they were for their respective teams.

Gordon, Olise and Cucurella provide the spark

The round also showcased several outstanding creative displays. Anthony Gordon was directly involved in England's comeback victory over DR Congo, Michael Olise orchestrated much of France's fluent attacking play against Sweden, and Marc Cucurella continued his excellent tournament by supplying two assists in Spain's dominant win over Austria.

Behind the leading trio, Ryan Mendes, Alexis Mac Allister, Chadi Riad Talbi, Alex Baena, Matias Galarza, Florian Wirtz and Yannick Semedo each registered an assist, underlining how creativity came from every area of the pitch throughout the opening knockout ties.

england's anthony gordon

Hassan and Lamine Yamal dazzle in possession

Few players entertained more than Egypt's Haissem Hassan, whose performance against Australia was rewarded with tournament-leading figures for both successful dribbles and attacking duels won.

The winger completed 10 dribbles and won 10 attacking duels as Egypt eventually prevailed on penalties after a gruelling 120 minutes.

Spain's Lamine Yamal once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the tournament's brightest stars, completing seven successful dribbles during the 3-0 victory over Austria.

Vinicius Junior, Nuno Mendes, Jamal Musiala and Ismaila Sarr also ranked among the competition's most effective ball carriers and duel winners after producing influential displays for Brazil, Portugal, Germany and Senegal, respectively.

spain's Lamine Yamal

Defenders rise to the occasion

As expected in knockout football, defensive resilience proved just as valuable as attacking flair. Arthur Masuaku and Andres Cubas led the way with eight defensive duels won, the latter playing a crucial role in Paraguay's memorable penalty shootout victory over Germany after a 1-1 draw.

Konrad Laimer, despite Austria's elimination at the hands of Spain, topped the ranking for successful defensive one-on-ones with five, while Masuaku, Matias Galarza and Juan Canale all impressed in individual battles throughout the round.

In the air, Harry Souttar dominated more than anyone else, winning nine aerial duels for Australia despite his side's eventual shootout defeat to Egypt. Jan Paul van Hecke, Cesar Montes and Johan Vasquez followed closely behind with eight apiece.

dr congo's Arthur Masuaku

Goalkeepers stand tall

Several goalkeepers produced outstanding displays during a last 32 filled with narrow scorelines. Sweden's Jacob Widell finished with a competition-high nine saves despite France's attacking quality eventually proving too much, while Cape Verde's Vozinha made eight saves in a valiant effort against Argentina.

Diogo Costa and Alexander Schlager also featured prominently after making six saves each, while Ronwen Williams, Lionel Mpasi, Orlando Gill, Bart Verbruggen and Zion Suzuki all produced five-save performances.

Although only eight clean sheets were recorded across the 16 matches, they proved decisive. Camilo Vargas, Maxime Crepeau, Mike Maignan, Unai Simon, Gregor Kobel, Matt Freese and Raul Rangel all finished the round without conceding, helping Colombia, Canada, France, Spain, Switzerland, the United States and Mexico progress.

france's Mike Maignan

Sarr tops the physical battle

Despite Senegal's 3-2 defeat to Belgium, the winger won more fouls than any other player (six) and was also the only footballer to strike the woodwork twice.

Messi, Granit Xhaka, Emam Ashour and Christian Pulisic all drew five fouls, while Mateo Kovacic, Yoane Wissa, Mbappe, Achraf Hakimi, Rafael Leao, Vinicius Junior, Jhon Yeboah, Folarin Balogun and Michael Olise each rattled the frame of the goal once during an entertaining opening knockout round.

senegal's ismaila sarr

2026 World Cup last 32 statistical leaders

Top scorers

Kylian Mbappe (France) – 2

Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 2

Harry Kane (England) – 2

Youri Tielemans (Belgium) – 2

Gabriel Martinelli (Brazil) – 1

Malik Tillman (United States) – 1

Goncalo Ramos (Portugal) – 1

Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast) – 1

Dan Ndoye (Switzerland) – 1

Emam Ashour (Egypt) – 1

Assists

Anthony Gordon (England) – 2

Michael Olise (France) – 2

Marc Cucurella (Spain) – 2

Ryan Mendes (Cape Verde) – 1

Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina) – 1

Chadi Riad Talbi (Morocco) – 1

Alex Baena (Spain) – 1

Matias Galarza (Paraguay) – 1

Florian Wirtz (Germany) – 1

Yannick Semedo (Cape Verde) – 1

Clean sheets

Camilo Vargas (Colombia) – 1

Maxime Crepeau (Canada) – 1

Mike Maignan (France) – 1

Unai Simon (Spain) – 1

Gregor Kobel (Switzerland) – 1

Matt Freese (United States) – 1

Raul Rangel (Mexico) – 1

Shots off the woodwork

Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 2

Mateo Kovacic (Croatia) – 1

Yoane Wissa (DR Congo) – 1

Kylian Mbappe (France) – 1

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) – 1

Rafael Leao (Portugal) – 1

Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 1

Jhon Yeboah (Ecuador) – 1

Folarin Balogun (United States) – 1

Michael Olise (France) – 1

Opening goals

Ivan Perisic (Croatia) – 1

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 1

Breel Embolo (Switzerland) – 1

Kylian Mbappe (France) – 1

Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 1

Julian Quinones (Mexico) – 1

Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) – 1

Stephen Eustaquio (Canada) – 1

Jhon Arias (Colombia) – 1

Folarin Balogun (United States) – 1

Successful dribbles

Hassan (Egypt) – 10

Lamine Yamal (Spain) – 7

Nilson Angulo (Ecuador) – 6

Nuno Mendes (Portugal) – 5

Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 5

Florian Wirtz (Germany) – 5

Julio Caceres (Paraguay) – 4

Ghislain Konan (Ivory Coast) – 4

Jamal Musiala (Germany) – 4

Djed Spence (England) – 4

Attacking duels won

Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 10

Hassan (Egypt) – 10

Nuno Mendes (Portugal) – 8

Jamal Musiala (Germany) – 8

Djed Spence (England) – 8

Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 8

Christian Pulisic (United States) – 7

Nilson Angulo (Ecuador) – 7

Sadio Mane (Senegal) – 7

Jeremy Doku (Belgium) – 7

Fouls won

Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 6

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 5

Granit Xhaka (Switzerland) – 5

Emam Ashour (Egypt) – 5

Christian Pulisic (United States) – 5

Krepin Diatta (Senegal) – 4

Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden) – 4

Jeremy Doku (Belgium) – 4

Khuliso Mudau (South Africa) – 4

Dan Ndoye (Switzerland) – 3

Shots on target

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 6

Kylian Mbappe (France) – 4

Lamine Yamal (Spain) – 4

Jude Bellingham (England) – 4

Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 4

Harry Kane (England) – 3

Michael Olise (France) – 3

Kai Havertz (Germany) – 3

Mateo Kovacic (Croatia) – 3

Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) – 2

Aerial duels won

Harry Souttar (Australia) – 9

Jan Paul van Hecke (Netherlands) – 8

Cesar Montes (Mexico) – 8

Johan Vasquez (Mexico) – 8

Ruben Dias (Portugal) – 7

Rami Rabia (Egypt) – 7

Yasser Ibrahim (Egypt) – 6

Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan) – 6

Aymeric Laporte (Spain) – 6

Chris Richards (United States) – 6

Defensive duels won

Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo) – 8

Andres Cubas (Paraguay) – 8

Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast) – 7

Richie Laryea (Canada) – 7

Konrad Laimer (Austria) – 6

Josip Stanisic (Croatia) – 6

Elliot Anderson (England) – 6

Samuel Moutoussamy (DR Congo) – 6

Guela Doue (Ivory Coast) – 6

Matias Galarza (Paraguay) – 6

Successful defensive one-on-ones

Konrad Laimer (Austria) – 5

Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo) – 4

Matias Galarza (Paraguay) – 4

Juan Canale (Paraguay) – 4

Nahuel Molina (Argentina) – 3

Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast) – 3

Andres Cubas (Paraguay) – 3

Djed Spence (England) – 2

Junior Alonso (Paraguay) – 2

Timothy Castagne (Belgium) – 2

Saves

Jacob Widell Zetterstrom (Sweden) – 9

Vozinha (Cape Verde) – 8

Alexander Schlager (Austria) – 6

Diogo Costa (Portugal) – 6

Ronwen Williams (South Africa) – 5

Lionel Mpasi (DR Congo) – 5

Orlando Gill (Paraguay) – 5

Bart Verbruggen (Netherlands) – 5

Zion Suzuki (Japan) – 5

Orjan Nyland (Norway) – 4

Álex Baena

Achievements