The 2026 FIFA World Cup has reached the quarter-final stage, with just eight teams still in contention for football's biggest prize. Spain, Belgium, England, Norway, France, Morocco, Argentina and Switzerland have survived the first two knockout rounds and remain in the hunt for a place in the semi-finals.

With the group stage, the Round of 32 and the Round of 16 now complete, the tournament has already produced a host of standout performers. While the biggest matches are still to come, several players have already made a compelling case to be remembered among the stars of this World Cup.

No player has shone brighter in front of goal than Lionel Messi. The Argentina captain leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals, edging clear of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, who have each scored seven, while Harry Kane remains firmly in contention on six.

Behind many of those goals have come moments of creativity, and no player has created more than Michael Olise. The France winger tops the assist charts with five, one ahead of Brahim Diaz and Bruno Guimaraes, who have both registered four.

Between the posts, Oscar Gill has emerged as one of the revelations of the tournament. The Paraguay goalkeeper played a decisive role in his nation's unexpected run to the Round of 16, helping eliminate Germany before producing another inspired display in a narrow defeat to France.

Gill also leads the tournament for saves with 24, ahead of Portugal's Diogo Costa on 21, while Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room and Cape Verde veteran Vozinha are tied for third with 20 apiece.

Paraguay's impressive campaign was built on defensive resilience, and that is reflected in the numbers. Juan Caceres, Andres Cubas and Galarza have all ranked among the tournament's best defenders, leading the standings for defensive duels won with 30 and 29 respectively.

Australia defender Harry Souttar has also made his physical presence count. The towering centre-back leads the aerial duels ranking after winning 22, comfortably ahead of Canada's Derek Cornelius and Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke, who have both recorded 19.

Messi's influence extends beyond the goalscoring charts. The Argentine also leads the competition for shots on target with 18, ahead of Mbappe's 16 and Haaland's 11.

Despite Tunisia's early exit after three consecutive defeats in the group stage, Burnley midfielder Hannibal stood out as one of the team's few positives. He tops the fouls won ranking with 15, level with Morocco full-back Achraf Hakimi and one ahead of United States midfielder Malik Tillman.

The tournament's most exciting wingers have also lived up to expectations. Lamine Yamal, Vinicius Junior and Jeremy Doku occupy the top three places for offensive duels won, with 38, 33 and 30 respectively.

Yamal and Vinicius have also been the competition's most effective dribblers. The Spain international leads the way with 28 successful dribbles, while the Brazil star has completed 16.

Spain's place in the quarter-finals has been built on a blend of defensive discipline and dominance in possession. That control is reflected in the passing statistics, where Rodri (471), Pau Cubarsi (416) and Aymeric Laporte (385) occupy the top three places for completed passes.

'La Roja's defensive solidity is also evident at the other end of the pitch. Goalkeeper Unai Simon has kept more clean sheets than anyone else in the tournament, recording five, while Colombia's Kevin Mier Vargas and Mexico's Raul Rangel follow with four each.

Goals

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 goals
Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 goals
Kylian Mbappe (France) – 7 goals
Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals

Assists

Michael Olise (France) – 5 assists
Brahim Diaz (Morocco) – 4 assists
Bruno Guimaraes (Brazil) – 4 assists
Florian Wirtz (Germany) – 3 assists
Martin Odegaard (Norway) – 3 assists
Alexander Isak (Sweden) – 3 assists
Andreas Schjelderup (Norway) – 3 assists
Bukayo Saka (England) – 3 assists
Randall Alvarado (Mexico) – 3 assists

Shots on target

Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 18 shots on target
Kylian Mbappe (France) – 16 shots on target
Erling Haaland (Norway) – 11 shots on target
Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 11 shots on target
Harry Kane (England) – 11 shots on target

Successful dribbles

Lamine Yamal (Spain) – 28 successful dribbles
Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 16 successful dribbles
Julio Enciso (Paraguay) – 16 successful dribbles
Janner Corozo Yeboah (Ecuador) – 15 successful dribbles
Hossam Hassan (Egypt) – 14 successful dribbles
Ibrahim Maza (Algeria) – 14 successful dribbles
Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) – 14 successful dribbles

Offensive duels won

Lamine Yamal (Spain) – 38 offensive duels won
Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 33 offensive duels won
Jeremy Doku (Belgium) – 30 offensive duels won
Jamal Musiala (Germany) – 28 offensive duels won
Julio Enciso (Paraguay) – 28 offensive duels won

Fouls won

Hannibal (Tunisia) – 15 fouls won
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) – 15 fouls won
Malik Tillman (United States) – 14 fouls won
Martin Baturina (Croatia) – 13 fouls won
Jeremy Doku (Belgium) – 13 fouls won
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 13 fouls won
Richie Laryea (Canada) – 13 fouls won
Emam Ashour (Egypt) – 13 fouls won

Defensive duels won

Juan Cáceres (Paraguay) – 30 defensive duels won
Mathias Galarza (Paraguay) – 29 defensive duels won
Douglas Santos (Brazil) – 29 defensive duels won
Andres Cubas (Paraguay) – 29 defensive duels won
Elliot Anderson (England) – 26 defensive duels won
Merchas Doski (Iraq) – 23 defensive duels won
Nayef Aguerd (Morocco) – 23 defensive duels won

Aerial duels won

Harry Souttar (Australia) – 22 aerial duels won
Derek Cornelius (Canada) – 19 aerial duels won
Jan Paul van Hecke (Netherlands) – 19 aerial duels won
Alessandro Circati (Australia) – 18 aerial duels won
Gabriel Magalhaes (Brazil) – 17 aerial duels won
Luc De Fougerolles (Canada) – 17 aerial duels won

Successful passes

Rodri (Spain) – 471 successful passes
Pau Cubarsi (Spain) – 416 successful passes
Aymeric Laporte (Spain) – 385 successful passes
Gabriel Magalhaes (Brazil) – 382 successful passes
Jonathan Tah (Germany) – 365 successful passes
Vitinha (Portugal) – 365 successful passes

Clean sheets

Unai Simon (Spain) – 5 clean sheets
Camilo Vargas (Colombia) – 4 clean sheets
Raul Rangel (Mexico) – 4 clean sheets
Mike Maignan (France) – 3 clean sheets

Saves

Oscar Gill (Paraguay) – 24 saves
Diogo Costa (Portugal) – 21 saves
Eloy Room (Curacao) – 20 saves
Vozinha (Cape Verde) – 20 saves
Mohammed Al-Owais (Saudi Arabia) – 19 saves

H. Hassan

Achievements