The 2026 FIFA World Cup first round is done and dusted — and while national pride is obviously front and centre, Europe’s biggest clubs are quietly being ranked too. Which squads sent the best players to North America? We’ve done the maths, weighed every performance, and stacked the clubs accordingly. Here’s how the continent’s elite shake out after matchday one.
2026 World Cup Club Rankings: The Middle of the Pack
Starting with Manchester City, who had a whopping 15 players in action. Erling Haaland’s brace in Norway’s 4-1 destruction of Iraq was the undisputed highlight, and Rodri completed 115 passes in Spain’s frustrating 0-0 stalemate with Cape Verde. However, Tijjani Reijnders went missing in Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Japan, and John Stones looked rusty in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia. A high headcount doesn’t guarantee a high ranking — City sit low as a result.
Meanwhile, Chelsea‘s players delivered a mixed bag. Marc Cucurella was outstanding for Spain despite their 0-0 Cape Verde stalemate — a blur of attacking intent down the left. Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo were both influential in midfield for Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria and Ecuador’s 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast respectively. Pedro Neto chipped in with an assist in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Congo DR. Reece James, though, was a touch muted for England.
Napoli only sent four players but every single one delivered. Scott McTominay shook off a stomach bug to help Scotland to their first World Cup win in 36 years — a 1-0 victory over Haiti. Mathías Olivera was a commanding presence in Uruguay’s 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia, and Kevin De Bruyne alongside Romelu Lukaku helped drag Belgium back to a 1-1 draw with Egypt. Four players, four solid performances. Respect the hit rate.
Borussia Dortmund’s 2025-26 season was defined by defensive solidity — just 34 goals conceded in the Bundesliga — and that resolve carried straight into the tournament. Gregor Kobel made crucial early saves in Switzerland’s 1-1 draw with Qatar, while Nico Schlotterbeck was imperious in Germany’s staggering 7-1 win over Curaçao. Felix Nmecha opened the scoring in that rout and proved a persistent menace in the box throughout.
Barcelona had 12 players involved, including loanees Marcus Rashford and João Cancelo. Most performed adequately, but Ferran Torres endured a nightmare in front of goal during that Spain-Cape Verde stalemate. The real standout? Pau Cubarsí — immaculate with and without the ball from centre back. Solid enough for the Blaugrana, but that Spain result caps their ceiling here.
World Cup Club Performance Table: The Elite Level
You might have expected Paris Saint-Germain higher. So did we. A PSG-stacked Portugal side underwhelmed in their 1-1 draw with Congo DR and that drags them down to fifth. Still, João Neves headed home a fine goal, Achraf Hakimi tormented Brazil’s flanks in Morocco’s 1-1 draw, Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye both scored in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal, and Lee Kang-In was simply sensational — grabbing an assist and pulling Czechia’s defence apart in South Korea’s 2-1 win. When PSG’s players turn it on, they really turn it on.
Furthermore, Arsenal had no major blemishes — save for Gabriel Magalhães, who looked as lost as everyone else in a Brazil side that scraped a 1-1 draw with Morocco. Everywhere else, it was excellence. Kai Havertz bagged a brace in Germany’s 7-1 win, Declan Rice was immense for England in the 4-2 victory over Croatia, Viktor Gyökeres struck for Sweden in their 5-1 thrashing of Tunisia, William Saliba was assured in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal, Martin Ødegaard saw plenty of the ball for Norway and Bukayo Saka made an immediate impact off the bench for England. Tremendous depth of quality.
Liverpool fans have been waiting for Alexander Isak to announce himself since his British-record £125 million arrival from Newcastle United last summer. He delivered — albeit in Swedish colours. Isak scored a beauty, brilliantly robbed possession to set up Gyökeres, then flicked on for substitute Matthias Svanberg to complete a stunning hat-trick of goal contributions. Ryan Gravenberch provided two assists for the Netherlands, Virgil van Dijk powered home a trademark header, Florian Wirtz dictated Germany’s play in central midfield, Alexis Mac Allister shone in Argentina’s 3-0 win and Alisson Becker made key stops for Brazil. As a collective, Liverpool’s contingent was genuinely elite.
Real Madrid, as you’d expect, were well represented at the summit. Kylian Mbappé recovered from a dreadful first half to bag a brace in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal, with Aurélien Tchouaméni commanding alongside him. Federico Valverde and Brahim Díaz were influential for Uruguay and Morocco respectively, Jude Bellingham’s third goal against Croatia proved the decisive moment for England, and Vinícius Júnior’s scorcher earned Brazil a point against Morocco. The only blemish? Thibaut Courtois struggling somewhat in Belgium’s 1-1 draw with Egypt. Los Blancos are elite, but not quite the best club in this tournament — not yet.
That honour belongs to Bayern Munich. Fifteen players, zero poor performances. Michael Olise moved into an attacking midfield role against Senegal and produced a masterclass of vision and passing that somehow upstaged Mbappé’s brace. Joshua Kimmich was the standout in Germany’s 7-1 demolition of Curaçao, with Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Jonathan Tah and Manuel Neuer all contributing. Kim Min-Jae was solid in South Korea’s 2-1 comeback win over Czechia, Dayot Upamecano almost single-handedly kept France afloat in the first half against Senegal, and both Harry Kane and Luis Díaz found the net for England and Colombia respectively. Bayern, without question, top the first-round rankings.
