DALLAS, USA, June 28 (Xinhua) – The group stage matches of the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico concluded on June 27. Every FIFA World Cup leaves behind memorable numbers—some setting new records, others reflecting team performance. With the first AI-assisted World Cup, some statistics have also changed how fans view players. Which numbers impressed you most?

Records in Numbers

—3

This is the first FIFA World Cup jointly hosted by three nations and the third time Mexico has hosted, following 1970 and 1986. Mexico City Stadium (formerly Estadio Azteca), which witnessed two generations of football royalty—Pelé and Maradona—reach their peaks, has become the first stadium to host the FIFA World Cup opening match three times.

—215

A total of 215 goals were scored across 72 group stage matches. In the 59th match of this World Cup, U.S. player Tosti scored the 173rd goal of the tournament, breaking the historic record for total goals in a single FIFA World Cup. The previous record was 172 goals across 64 matches at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The average goals per match in Qatar was approximately 2.69, while this tournament reached 2.99 goals per match.

—19

Before this World Cup, Messi had 13 World Cup goals. In the first group stage round, Messi scored a hat-trick, becoming the oldest player to achieve this feat in World Cup history at 38 years and 357 days, matching the 16-goal record held by German legend Klose. In the second group stage round, Messi scored twice, reaching the top of the all-time World Cup goalscoring list with 18 goals. In the final group match, Messi, coming off the bench, scored again, extending his record to 19 goals.

—6

Ronaldo also set a scoring milestone, netting twice in the second group stage round to become the first player in history to score in six consecutive FIFA World Cups. He broke Portugal's all-time World Cup goalscoring record with 10 goals. The 41-year-old Portuguese captain also became the oldest player in World Cup history to score twice in a single match and the second-oldest goalscorer ever, behind only Cameroonian legend Roger Milla. Ronaldo, alongside Messi and Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa, is one of only three players in history to participate in six men's FIFA World Cups.

—1

Cape Verde, showcasing a "small nation miracle," advanced to the knockout stage by finishing second in their group with three draws, becoming only the second team to qualify in their World Cup debut since Slovakia in 2010. With a population just over 500,000, Cape Verde is the smallest nation by both area and population to reach the knockout stage in FIFA World Cup history.

Additionally, teams including South Africa, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire, and DR Congo also achieved historic breakthroughs, advancing to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.

—74

On June 24, South Africa defeated South Korea 1-0, advancing to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history. This victory also made South Africa's veteran Belgian coach Hugo Broos the oldest head coach to win a match in FIFA World Cup history at 74 years and 75 days.

—426,834

On June 16, a total of 281,223 spectators attended four World Cup matches, breaking the single-day World Cup attendance record of 277,070 set in 1994. On June 25, the six final group stage matches further raised the single-day World Cup attendance record to 426,834 fans.

Tactics in Numbers

Several statistics reveal different tactical styles among teams.

—10

In this World Cup, the three teams with the most goals were France, Netherlands, and Germany, each with 10. Among them, Netherlands was most efficient, requiring only 40 shots. France took 48 shots, and Germany took 53. France had 20 shots from outside the box, Germany had 16, while Netherlands had only 9. Notably, France and Netherlands each had expected goals of just 4.96 and 4.66 respectively, yet each ultimately scored 10 goals, demonstrating how their star players capitalized on opportunities that weren't clear-cut chances.

—26%

During the group stage, Japan had the highest shot efficiency, scoring 7 goals from 27 shots with 9 on target, a shot conversion rate of 26%. Additionally, all 7 of Japan's goals came from assists, highlighting their excellent team coordination.

—4%

Looking at various offensive statistics, Turkey's performance should be considered solid—ranking second with 70 shots, third in total distance covered, and among the top ten in passing. However, their goalscoring efficiency was truly concerning, netting only 3 goals overall with a shot conversion rate of just 4%. Of their 70 shots, 33 were long-range attempts from outside the box, ranking first—indirectly reflecting Turkey's anxious approach after prolonged attacking spells without scoring. This low offensive efficiency led to Turkey's early elimination from the group stage.

—2,191

As expected, Spain, renowned for their "tiki-taka" style, became the team with the most passes in the group stage with 2,191 passes, of which 2,013 were successful, boasting a 92% success rate and ranking first. Spain's 62% possession rate also topped the charts.

—358,610.48

The U.S. team covered a total distance of 358,610.48 meters across 3 matches, ranking first among all 48 teams. In other running-related statistics, the U.S. ranked first in high-speed runs, third in sprints, and fourth in average running speed. This was likely a key reason the U.S. topped their group.

—206

According to data, Paraguay was the most aggressive defensive team at this World Cup. In "direct defensive pressure applied," a key metric measuring defensive intensity, Paraguay ranked first with 206, far ahead of Ecuador in second place (168). In "forcing opponent errors through pressure," Paraguay also ranked second with 150 instances, behind only Egypt (155).

This highly aggressive defense also resulted in Paraguay receiving 7 yellow cards, tied with Curaçao. Thanks to their aggressive defending, Paraguay, despite scoring only 2 goals, advanced and will face the attacking powerhouse Germany in the knockout stage.

Star Players in Numbers

As the first AI-assisted World Cup, FIFA also introduced official player strength ratings for the first time. These ratings were developed by FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger using official match data and calculated by a football AI algorithm, evaluating players across multiple dimensions including attacking, creativity, and defense.

—8.37

In offensive ratings, contrary to most expectations, German forward Deniz Undav topped the list with 8.37 points, slightly higher than Messi's 8.33 points. Undav played a total of 106 minutes across 3 matches, scoring 3 goals from just 5 shots and providing 2 assists, with a 60% shot conversion rate. This exceptional efficiency is the primary reason Undav leads the rankings.

—8.02

In creativity ratings, French winger Olise ranked first with 8.02 points, the only player with a creativity score above 8. Olise provided 3 assists across 3 matches, completing 184 total passes with an 85% success rate. He covered the most distance of any French player at 30,215.05 meters and ranked first in sprints with 156.

—8.12, 7.26

Also worthy of mention is France captain Mbappé, the only player to rank in the top five for both offensive and creativity ratings, placing third in attacking with 8.12 points and fifth in creativity with 7.26 points. Mbappé contributed 4 goals and 2 assists across 3 matches from 16 shots with 9 on target. His expected goals were just 1.72, yet he ultimately scored 4, demonstrating his individual quality.

—7.3

In defensive ratings, Canadian defender Derek Cornelius, with 7.3 points, edged out "Golden Boy" Rodri, Spain's defensive midfielder (7.29 points), to rank first. While somewhat surprising, statistics such as winning 13 aerial duels in 251 minutes and an 87% pass completion rate from 124 passes sufficiently demonstrate his toughness and consistency.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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