Argentina’s Lionel Messi practices for the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Lionel Messi may be leading the Golden Boot race and continues to rewrite FIFA World Cup history, but the Argentine captain is not the highest-rated attacking player of the tournament after the group stage.Instead, FIFA’s official performance rankings have placed Germany substitute Deniz Undav at the top of the attacking charts, edging past Messi by the narrowest of margins following three extraordinary substitute appearances during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.FIFA’s official World Cup player power rankings, developed with Aramco under the guidance of Arsène Wenger, evaluate every player’s performance using advanced match data. Outfield players receive scores out of 10 across attacking, creativity and defending, while goalkeepers are assessed separately for their goalkeeping and possession contributions.While many expected Messi, Kylian Mbappé or even Harry Kane to occupy top spot after the group stage, FIFA’s data instead rewarded efficiency, with Undav’s remarkable impact from the bench proving enough to finish first.

Deniz Undav tops FIFA’s attacking rankings despite never starting a match

Few players have influenced matches as dramatically with so little playing time.Undav has yet to start a game for Germany at the tournament, making only three substitute appearances for a combined total of just 86 minutes.

Germany’s Deniz Undav reacts after scoring during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Curacao in Houston, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Those brief cameos have nevertheless produced extraordinary numbers.The striker has scored three goals and supplied two assists, averaging one goal every 28.7 minutes and a direct goal contribution every 17.2 minutes.His standout performance arrived during Germany’s emphatic 7-1 victory over Curaçao, where he came off the bench to score once and register two assists in just 26 minutes.He followed that by producing a dramatic substitute brace against Ivory Coast, including the decisive winner in the 94th minute, helping Germany secure a 2-1 victory.Those performances earned Undav an attacking rating of 8.36, narrowly ahead of Messi’s 8.34, making him FIFA’s highest-rated attacking player after the group stage despite never featuring in a starting XI.

Messi continues to rewrite World Cup history

Although he finished second in FIFA’s attacking rankings, Messi continues to produce one of the finest tournaments of his career.The Argentina captain has scored six goals in three group-stage matches, extending his all-time World Cup goals tally to 19 and strengthening his position as the tournament’s leading scorer heading into the knockout rounds.During Argentina’s victory over Jordan, Messi also became the first player in history to score against 13 different countries at the FIFA World Cup.According to Opta, he also became the first footballer ever to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches, further adding to an already unmatched list of tournament records.His attacking rating of 8.34 would normally have comfortably led FIFA’s rankings, but Undav’s astonishing efficiency ultimately pushed him into second place.

Mbappé, Vinícius and Dembélé continue to chase

France captain Kylian Mbappé occupies third place in FIFA’s attacking rankings with a score of 8.13, while Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior sits fourth on 7.92 after an outstanding group stage.Vinícius finished the opening phase with four goals, scoring in all three matches against Morocco, Haiti and Scotland to become the first Brazilian player in 24 years to score in every group-stage match of a World Cup.France winger Ousmane Dembélé climbed into sixth after producing one of the tournament’s defining performances against Norway. His first-half hat-trick, completed inside just 32 minutes, made him the first player since Oleg Salenko in 1994 to score a first-half World Cup hat-trick while also becoming the second-fastest player ever to complete a World Cup treble from kick-off.Norway striker Erling Haaland also features among the leading performers after scoring four goals during his debut World Cup campaign.

FIFA’s rankings measure more than goals

Unlike the Golden Boot standings, FIFA’s official rankings assess complete performances rather than simply goals scored.The attacking category rewards chance quality, finishing and offensive involvement, while creativity measures passing, chance creation and progression. Defensive contribution is also included to produce a broader picture of a player’s overall influence.Elsewhere in FIFA’s position-specific metrics, France’s Michael Olise leads the creativity rankings with a score of 8.03, Canada’s Luc De Fougerolles is the highest-rated defender on 7.38, while Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams occupy the top two positions among goalkeepers.As the Round of 32 begins, the battle for the tournament’s individual honours remains wide open.Messi still leads the Golden Boot race with six goals, while Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior and Erling Haaland have all scored four times. France, Argentina and Mexico are also the only teams to have completed perfect group-stage records by winning all three of their matches, ensuring many of the tournament favourites remain firmly in contention.Whether Undav can retain top spot in FIFA’s statistical rankings without becoming a regular starter now becomes one of the more intriguing subplots of the knockout rounds.

Table-toppers Belgium face African giants Senegal in the FIFA World Cup round of 32 at Seattle Stadium on Wednesday. The Red Devils have never played against the Lions of Teranga.

Belgium topped Group G with two draws and a victory in their three games. They drew 1-1 with Egypt in their opening game before a goalless stalemate with Iran, conditioned by a second-half red card for Nathan Ngoy.

Criticism was building that the Red Devils are not the same team of old, and that they were not capable of scoring after only one goal netted in two, and that being an own goal.

Rudi Garcia’s men responded with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over New Zealand in their final group-stage game, and those five points were enough to see them top the group, with Egypt second in Group G.

They will hope to build on that winning momentum to secure a victory over the Lions of Teranga.

Meanwhile, Senegal performed a late escape in Group I to be the only team on three points across all the groups progressing to the knockout rounds.

After losing their first two games, 3-1 to France and 3-2 to Norway, Senegal were considered by most to be out of the running for a top-eight spot among the third-placed teams, but they chose to fight on and thrashed Iraq 5-0 in the final group-stage game.

That stunning scoreline earned them the three points and turned their goal difference positive to +2, allowing them to move ahead of South Korea, Scotland, and Iran (the other third-placed teams on three points) and into the next round.

The Lions of Teranga have received a lifeline, and they are determined not to waste it against their Belgian opponents. They conceded three times in their two group games against European opposition, and they will need to tighten up their backline if they are to eliminate the Red Devils.

The winner of this match will return to Seattle Stadium for a round-of-16 encounter with either co-hosts the USA or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Belgium vs Senegal head-to-head stats and key numbers

• Belgium and Senegal have never played against each other in an international football match.
• Senegal have qualified for the World Cup four times, while Belgium are taking part in their 15th World Cup tournament.
• Romelu Lukaku continues to push his impressive record as Belgium’s leading goalscorer, with his goal against New Zealand making it 91 goals in 129 appearances.

Belgium vs Senegal prediction

We expect the Red Devils to dominate possession and use the pace and creativity of wingers Leandro Trossard and Jeremy Doku to take on the Senegalese defenders, isolating them in one-on-one situations before shooting or making the final pass to the Belgian strikers in goal-scoring positions.

They will also count on the tournament experience of veterans Kevin De Bruyne and Lukaku to guide them through the tricky moments in a knockout match.

Senegal are likely to use their typical aggressive approach to make the most of their physicality, winning the ball back and launching quick counterattacks to hurt Belgium. The Lions of Teranga have shown some vulnerabilities at the back during the group stage, and they will need to be more compact and disciplined if they are to stop Belgium from scoring.

We expect this to be a tight encounter, with the Belgians clinching a narrow victory.

Prediction: Belgium 2-1 Senegal

Belgium vs Senegal betting tips

Tip 1: Belgium to win

Tip 2: Both teams to score

Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals