World Cup Team of the Tournament: Spain & France stars dominate as Messi leads the way

[p]With the competition finally at an end, [i][b]Flashscore [/b][/i]takes a look at the Team of the Tournament, using our [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/rating/WtG2SIIU/"]very own internal ratings system[/a]. To qualify for this starting XI, players must have taken part in at least four matches and been on the pitch for at least 300 minutes.[/p][p][b]Take a look at our team of the World Cup below:   [/b][/p][image alt="Team of the 2026 World Cup" id="42a8eacf-66c3-48af-9dd6-f90574a70eb7" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="ce884661-60b9-4049-a9d2-e14c250f5e54" original-width="1080" original-height="1350" /][h2]Goalkeeper[/h2][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gill-orlando/d6RBYBBD/"]Orlando Gill[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/paraguay/YaNlqp6j/"]Paraguay[/a]) 7.5[/b][/p][p]Gill was so impressive between the sticks for Paraguay as they reached the last 16 at the World Cup, consistently keeping his country in games with his phenomenal shot-stopping.[/p][p]He had the most saves in the tournament (23) and an impressive save percentage of 78.57%. His standout performance came in their shock victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a] in the Round of 32, making six saves and keeping out both [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/havertz-kai/rH8BZWiI/"]Kai Havertz[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/woltemade-nick/4YDUd1at/"]Nick Woltemade[/a]'s penalties in the shootout.[/p][h2]Defenders[/h2][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/porro-pedro/nTebDzHC/"]Pedro Porro[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a]) 7.7[/b][/p][p]After starting the first group match on the bench behind [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/llorente-marcos/z3D5zvbD/"]Marcos Llorente[/a], Porro came into the team against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saudi-arabia/biSY8ox4/"]Saudi Arabia[/a] and solidified himself as Spain's starting right back as they went on to win the World Cup in utterly dominant fashion.[/p][p]Spain conceded just a single goal all tournament, and Porro's energy and tenacity on the right-hand side of the pitch were integral to their defensive superiority. The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham[/a] full-back won 11 tackles in six games - only four defenders won more.[/p][p]His attacking prowess has never been in doubt, and he chipped in with two goals in the knockouts. His most important strike came in the semi-final against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a], slotting home in composed fashion to seal a 2-0 victory over Didier Deschamps' star-studded side.[/p][image alt="Pedro Porro touch zones during the tournament" id="d664d8ad-7bc2-42c5-9127-fa1dcf6179b5" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="84d238ad-165b-4d75-b8c2-9635ac680148" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cubarsi-pau/UgTrNwCF/"]Pau Cubarsi[/a] (Spain) 7.9[/b][/p][p]At just 19 years old, Cubarsi is a special talent in the heart of defence for Spain. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/soccer-world-championship-rodri-claims-golden-ball-award-as-kylian-mbappe-wins-golden-boot/Qyqflorf/"]Handed the FIFA Young Player Award[/a] for showing maturity beyond his years and keeping a tournament-high seven clean sheets, he was close to flawless.[/p][p]Cubarsi's composure and quality on the ball were so influential to the way Spain wanted to control games. He had the second-most touches at the tournament, and the most amongst defenders (776). Similarly, only one player completed more passes than he did, and he was the leading defender in this category (671).[/p][p]Cubarsi's performance in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/argentina-f9OppQjp/spain-bLyo6mco/?mid=UgbUKPmT"]the final against Argentina[/a] was also magnificent. No player on the pitch had more clearances (6), accurate passes (121), or touches (139), illustrating his impact.[/p][image alt="Pau Cubarsi touches during the tournament" id="1916d4a6-926a-4157-862e-b9ab464fcea6" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="47b63108-d1f9-4172-ba4e-7adf210cae1d" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kimmich-joshua/MkMrkZLc/"]Joshua Kimmich[/a] (Germany) 7.8[/b][/p][p]Germany had another extremely disappointing World Cup campaign, falling in the Round of 32 to Paraguay before manager Julian Nagelsmann lost his job. However, Kimmich enjoyed a pretty good tournament personally, putting in a couple of strong performances.[/p][p]Kimmich registered two assists in their 7-1 thumping of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/curacao/bLLGpOkQ/"]Curacao[/a], while having the second-most passes into the final third (84), despite playing just four games.[/p][p]Jurgen Klopp is set to be appointed new Germany boss, and Kimmich is likely to remain a key cog in his side.[/p][h2]Midfielders[/h2][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dembele-ousmane/zsMC2Ec0/"]Ousmane Dembele[/a] (France) 7.9[/b][/p][p]France - who were many people's favourites to win the World Cup - fell to eventual champions Spain in disappointing fashion in the semi-finals. Dembele had an inconsistent tournament by his high standards, but still managed some stellar performances on the biggest stage.[/p][p]The current Ballon d'Or holder had six goals and two assists in the competition, including scoring a hat-trick against a second-string [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/8rP6JO0H/"]Norway[/a] team in their final group game.[/p][p]Dembele also created the joint-second most chances in the competition (18) and the third-most big chances (5).[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/olise-michael/E5pvwqkK/"]Michael Olise[/a] (France) 7.9[/b][/p][p]The second of three French players in this team, Olise capped off a magnificent season with a strong World Cup campaign. His influence certainly dwindled the deeper they went into the knockout stages, but he still made serious history.[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayern-munich/nVp0wiqd/"]Bayern Munich[/a] man failed to get on the scoresheet at all during the tournament, but registered seven assists - the most in a single World Cup campaign.[/p][p]Like Dembele, Olise created 18 chances, but had the second-most big chances (7). Additionally, no player attempted more through balls than him (19).[/p][image alt="Olise - Dembele comparison" id="78a98d6d-21c6-47c3-9f7d-b8f140404d82" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="5ac18ba9-3b73-4d7d-bb3c-683115f4c9bf" original-width="768" original-height="1152" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rodri/K0G8DB00/"]Rodri[/a] (Spain) 7.8[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/soccer-world-championship-rodri-claims-golden-ball-award-as-kylian-mbappe-wins-golden-boot/Qyqflorf/"]Winner of the World Cup Golden Ball[/a], Rodri was the general at the heart of Spain's midfield, and if it wasn't clear already, he has firmly established himself as an all-time great in his position.[/p][p]Rodri had by far and away the most touches (910) and successful passes (756) at the tournament, as well as the most successful final-third passes (204). Remarkably, his 756 completed passes were the most in a single World Cup in the last 60 years, according to Opta.[/p][p]He did his bit off the ball too, winning the fourth most duels (49) at a 66% success rate. Amongst midfielders, he also completed the third-most recoveries (4). Very little surprise he was named player of the tournament.[/p][image alt="Rodri's pass map at the World Cup" id="581232ba-57d3-46ae-b1c2-0f0461b8814e" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="bb01f44d-7c01-4712-bc99-69b8647ab69d" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vinicius-junior/CbwQ4Mws/"]Vinicius Junior[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a]) 7.9[/b][/p][p]Brazil succumbed to a shock 2-1 defeat to Norway in the last 16, meaning they now have their longest World Cup title drought ever, surpassing the previous high of 24 years. Vinicius did play well for his nation, though, especially in the group stage.[/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a] superstar bagged four times at the tournament, including in all three group games. Vinicius also attempted the fourth-most dribbles (42), with only three players completing more than him (16).[/p][h2]Forwards[/h2][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Lionel Messi[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a]) 8.7[/b][/p][p]The highest-rated player at this tournament, the mercurial, irresistible Messi proved that he still has something left in the tank, single-handedly taking Argentina to the final.[/p][p]The little magician scored eight goals and registered four assists, with a hat-trick in the opening game against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/algeria/nc87N1BR/"]Algeria[/a] a sign of things to come. He often grabbed games by the scruff of their neck when Argentina were in trouble. His superhuman efforts in late comebacks against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/egypt/bejDn7NN/"]Egypt[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a] were mind-boggling.[/p][p]Additionally, Messi completed the most dribbles (28), created the most chances (25), and created the most big chances (8) - doing this at the age of 39 is hard to comprehend. He also became the second-top scorer in tournament history (21).[/p][p]This was likely to be the last time we saw Messi set foot on the World Cup stage, and despite Argentina's pretty embarrassing display in the final, the tournament as a whole would be a wonderful way to bow out.[/p][image alt="Messi was emotional after the final" id="094f51ae-319e-41f3-811a-4ac8993b59df" credit-line="Jess Stiles / Zuma Press / Profimedia" guid="e1cc299a-9ad0-406c-bcf2-c459cc20130d" original-width="1400" original-height="1018" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haaland-erling/UmV9iQmE/"]Erling Haaland[/a] (Norway) 8.1[/b][/p][p]A goalscoring freak of nature, Haaland was a one-man wrecking machine, guiding Norway to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history with seven goals.[/p][p]Up until the last eight, Haaland scored in every single game, netting braces against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/iraq/K8aAGt6r/"]Iraq[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/hOIsJLJr/"]Senegal[/a] and Brazil. His double against the latter was particularly devastating, with a bulldozing header and a thunderous strike from long range dumping out the five-time champions.[/p][image alt="World Cup top scorer" id="f846772a-e4a7-4202-aba3-fddcceee3edc" credit-line="ČTK / AP / Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire / Opta by StatsPerform" guid="1b46d120-0f58-498c-b731-7784734963cf" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbappe-kylian/Wn6E2SED/"]Kylian Mbappe[/a] (France) 8.4[/b][/p][p]At just 27 years old, Mbappe has already cemented himself as one of the best World Cup footballers of all time, and despite not being able to add to his 2018 triumph, his performances were spectacular as he etched his name into the history books.[/p][p]With 10 goals to his name, Mbappe got his hands on a second World Cup Golden Boot, becoming the first player to ever do that. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/who-are-the-leading-scorers-and-creators-in-world-cup-history/YHItVgHs/"]He also became the top scorer in the tournament's history[/a], taking his overall tally to 22 goals. For someone so young, that is an astonishing feat.[/p][p]Mbappe tore through every defence he played against, but Spain were the only team who kept him quiet. Throughout the World Cup, the electric Real Madrid striker attempted the second-most dribbles (46) and had the most shots (41). Interestingly, he missed the most big chances (8), which shows just how many opportunities he created for himself through his pace and movement around the box.[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]