FIFA surprises everyone by choosing the best player from the World Cup, leaving out Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Harry Kane.
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Harry Kane were all left out as FIFA named a surprising top player in the 2026 World Cup so far. The round of 32 kicked off Sunday night with co-host Canada narrowly beating South Africa 1-0, thanks to a last-minute goal from Stephen Eustaquiao.
There’s lots more exciting action coming up this week in the first knockout round of the first-ever 48-team tournament. But already, FIFA’s power rankings have revealed a shock leader.
These player rankings, powered by Aramco and guided by Arsene Wenger, use a new system that looks at data collected during matches. Outfield players get scores from 0 to 10 for attacking, creativity, and defending, while goalkeepers are scored on how they handle the ball and their goalkeeping skills.
Players get an overall score after each game, and while some familiar names are in the top ten, there are some surprises too. Messi is second in attacking with a score of 8.34 after scoring six World Cup goals, making him the tournament’s all-time top scorer.
Michael Olise leads creativity with 8.03 for France, and Canada’s Luc De Fougerolles tops defenders with 7.38. Paraguay’s Orlando Gill and Ronwen Williams are the top goalkeepers. Bayern Munich’s new Moroccan star Ismael Saibari made the top ten after scoring three goals and earning a 7.08 attacking rating.
Erling Haaland is seventh with an attacking score of 7.33 in his debut World Cup. Mbappe and Vinicius Jr are third and fourth with 8.13 and 7.92 attacking scores, respectively.
Messi’s amazing play in his sixth and final World Cup put him at 8.34 attacking points, good for second place. But the top spot goes to Germany’s Denis Undav, who has an 8.36 attacking score despite not starting any games so far.
Undav has impressed coming off the bench, scoring or assisting every 17.2 minutes and netting a goal every 28.7 minutes. He scored and assisted twice in Germany’s 7-1 win over Curacao and scored two quick goals after coming on against Ivory Coast.
Here’s the top 10 attacking scores so far:
1. Denis Undav (Germany) – 8.36
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8.34
3. Kylian Mbappe (France) – 8.13
4. Vinicius Jr (Brazil) – 7.92
5. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) – 7.57
6. Ousmane Dembele (France) – 7.53
7. Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7.33
8. Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands) – 7.09
9. Elijah Just (New Zealand) – 7.09
10. Ismael Saibari (Morocco) – 7.08
It’s been a thrilling start to this World Cup, with some unexpected stars making their mark!