Germany's Undav tops FIFA attack ranking, leaving Messi and Mbappé behind
A new data-driven FIFA ranking for the 2026 World Cup rates field players from 0 to 10 in attack, creativity, and defense. After the group stage, German substitute Deniz Undav leads the attack category with 8.37, narrowly ahead of Lionel Messi (8.34) and Kylian Mbappé (8.12).
FIFA introduces objective power ranking
FIFA has debuted a new power ranking for the 2026 World Cup, promising an "objective evaluation of individual field players" grounded in "the world's leading performance data." The system, developed by FIFA experts under the guidance of former legendary coach Arsène Wenger, relies on algorithms that gauge three distinct facets: attack, creativity, and defense. Any outfield player who steps on the pitch for at least 20 minutes receives a score between 0 and 10 in each category. According to FIFA, the approach "depicts the individual characteristics of the players and their contribution better and more accurately."
It is not a subjective assessment, but data-driven insights.
Undav edges Messi and Mbappé in attack
After the group stage, the attack ranking reveals an unexpected leader: German forward Deniz Undav, with a score of 8.37. Argentina's Lionel Messi, often hailed as the standout attacker of the tournament by fans, sits just behind at 8.34, though one report pegs his score at 8.33. France's Kylian Mbappé follows with 8.12, while Brazil's Vinicius Junior rounds out the top four at 7.91. The maximum achievable score is 10. Undav's surge to the top is largely credited to his role as a superjoker: he has netted three goals in approximately 90 minutes of total playing time.
- Deniz Undav
- 8.37
- Lionel Messi
- 8.34
- Kylian Mbappé
- 8.12
- Vinicius Junior
- 7.91
Overall leaders and other categories
When the three ratings are combined to produce an overall score, the hierarchy shifts slightly. Mbappé's cumulative total of 19.95 narrowly surpasses Messi's 19.9, with Undav a close third at 19.85. The creativity leaderboard is topped by France's Michael Olise (8.05), while Canada's Derek Cornelius claims the best defensive mark at 7.3. These numbers reflect FIFA's attempt to isolate specific contributions beyond goals and assists.
Goalkeeper rankings: Neuer struggles
The ranking also assesses goalkeepers, evaluating them on ball possession and shot-stopping ability. Cape Verde's Vozinha leads the possession metric with 8.01, and Paraguay's Orlando Gill, Germany's next opponent, leads in goal defense with 8.29. Germany's Manuel Neuer, however, finds himself near the bottom: his goal defense rating of 5.13 places him second-last, and he ranks only 19th in possession.
So the individual characteristics of the players and their contribution are depicted better and more accurately.
