Ranking Europe's top clubs by player performance a...

Sam TigheJun 18, 2026, 05:00 AM ET

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Sam is a writer, broadcaster and podcaster for ESPN. He will write on the Premier League, scouting and transfers.

With the first round of games completed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, it is clear which nations have started well. But which of Europe's top clubs can say the same?

Many of the continent's biggest teams have sent a host of players to the finals, which gives fans the chance to not only root for their country, but for the players that represent their beloved club too.

With that in mind, let's have a little fun and rank the teams based on how well their players have performed over the opening round of fixtures.

Note: Players are contracted to their current clubs until June 30, so impending free agents or expiring loanees still count towards the team they played for in the 2025-26 season. For example: Bernardo Silva still counts for Manchester City despite officially signing for Real Madrid, and Nicolas Jackson counts for Bayern Munich, not Chelsea, as his loan is not yet finished.

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10. Manchester City

Standout star: Erling Haaland, Norway

City had a whopping 15 players in action in the first round of games at the World Cup, but only a handful can claim to have played to a leading level. The clear highlight was Erling Haaland's brace for Norway in the 4-1 win over Iraq, while Spain midfielder Rodri held his end of the bargain up, completing 115 passes and shutting off counter-attacks, despite the 0-0 draw with minnows Cape Verde.

Most of the rest of City's player put in middling showings, but a couple visibly struggled -- midfielder Tijjani Reijnders was ineffective for Netherlands' 2-2 draw vs. Japan, while center back John Stones (who is leaving this summer) looked rusty for England in the 4-2 win over Croatia -- so City ended up ranking quite low here.

9. Chelsea

Standout star: Marc Cucurella, Spain

Several of Spain's players failed to hit the requisite levels in their shock 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, but not Cucurella. He may be on his way to Real Madrid but there really wasn't much more he could have done for his country; the left back was a blur of activity, a consistent threat, and teed up a huge chance that went begging.

Elsewhere, midfielders Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo were influential in midfield for Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria and Ecuador's 1-0 defeat against Ivory Coast, respectively, while winger Pedro Neto claimed an assist in Portugal's 1-1 draw with Congo DR, but right back Reece James was a touch muted for England.

8. Napoli

Standout star: Kevin De Bruyne

With just four players at this World Cup, Napoli are far from the most represented club, but all four showed up in round one so you have to respect the hit rate.

Midfielder Scott McTominay shook off a stomach bug to help Scotland to their first World Cup win in 36 years, 1-0 over Haiti, while Mathías Olivera was a big presence in defense during Uruguay's 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and striker Romelu Lukaku helped haul Belgium out of a hole to save a 1-1 draw with Egypt.

7. Borussia Dortmund

Standout star: Felix Nmecha, Germany

Dortmund's 2025-26 campaign was built on a surprisingly sturdy defense, as they conceded just 34 goals in the German Bundesliga, and central to that was the pair of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and center back Nico Schlotterbeck.

Both took their club form into the World Cup; the former saved Switzerland from embarrassment against Qatar, making crucial saves early on in a 1-1 draw, while the latter was imperious in Germany's 7-1 win over Curaçao. And, speaking of that thumping win, Felix Nmecha was the man to get the ball rolling on that as he scored Germany's first goal and proved a constant threat in the penalty box.

Burley slams 'extremely pedestrian' Spain after Cape Verde draw

6. Barcelona

Standout star: Pau Cubarsí, Spain

Barcelona had 12 players in action across round one, including loanees Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) and João Cancelo (Al Hilal). Most played fairly well without truly excelling, but it should be noted that forward Ferran Torres had a bit of a nightmare in front of goal during Spain's 0-0 draw with Cape Verde.

The Blaugrana had a heavy presence in that game, limiting how highly they can rank here given they did not do the business, but credit has to go to Pau Cubarsí, whose performance on and off the ball from center back was immaculate.

5. Paris Saint-Germain

Standout star: Lee Kang-In, South Korea

You probably expected Paris Saint-Germain to be ranked higher. So did we. But then a PSG-heavy Portugal severely underwhelmed in their opening 1-1 draw with Congo DR, limiting them to fifth place in the list.

At the very least, midfielder João Neves popped up with a great headed goal in that game, and elsewhere there were some excellent showings to pick out: Morocco's Achraf Hakimi blitzed Brazil's flanks in the 1-1 draw, while both Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye scored in France's 3-1 win over Senegal. But the best of the lot, Lee Kang-In, was sensational in South Korea's 2-1 win over Czechia, grabbing an assist and pulling the defense all over the place.

Robson: Germany's 7-1 win vs. Curaçao was a training game

4. Arsenal

Standout star: Kai Havertz, Germany

It was a tough call between striker Kai Havertz and midfielder Declan Rice (England) for standout star status, as both played big parts in their nations' opening victories. In the end, Havertz's brace and neat all-round play in the 7-1 win over Curaçao edged it.

Striker Viktor Gyökeres also found the back of the net for Sweden in their 5-1 win over Tunisia, while a handful of others enjoyed positive performances. Center back William Saliba held up well in France's 3-1 win over Senegal, despite almost missing the tournament through injury, Martin Ødegaard saw plenty of the ball for Norway and Bukayo Saka had a telling impact off the bench for England.

There's only one negative to mention and it's a surprising one: center back Gabriel Magalhães. Along with just about everyone else in a Brazil shirt, he looked all at sea in their opening draw with Morocco.

3. Liverpool

Standout star: Alexander Isak, Sweden

Liverpool fans have been waiting eagerly for a big performance from striker Alexander Isak since he signed for a British-record £125 million from Newcastle United last summer. They've finally seen it, though it came in the yellow and blue of Sweden.

Still, Isak's speed, sharpness and work rate was hugely encouraging, as he scored a beauty, did brilliantly to steal the ball and assist Gyökeres, and complete a hat trick of goal contributions with a flick to substitute Matthias Svanberg (which stopped the goal being disallowed for offside.)

Elsewhere, Liverpool's Dutch contingent largely impressed, with midfielder Ryan Gravenberch providing two assists and center back Virgil van Dijk scoring a trademark header. Florian Wirtz was his typically influential self in a Germany shirt, with much of Die Mannschaft's play flowing through him in central midfield.

After a tough domestic campaign, it was good to see midfielder Alexis Mac Allister perk up in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria, while goalkeeper Alisson Becker also made some key stops in Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco.

How Mbappé led France to a 3-1 win

2. Real Madrid

Standout star: Kylian Mbappé, France

Kylian Mbappé shook off a terrible first half, full of mis-controls and mishaps, to explode in the second half of France's 3-1 win over Senegal. His razor-sharp movement and unstoppable speed proved too much as he bagged a brace, while the France captain was supported in his efforts by the excellent Aurélien Tchouaméni in midfield.

Fellow Madrid midfielders Federico Valverde (Uruguay) and Brahim Díaz (Morocco) were also extremely influential for their nations, and Jude Bellingham scored England's third goal against Croatia, a pivotal moment that set the Three Lions on course for victory. Up front, Vinícius Jr was one of Brazil's few bright lights in their opening draw, as he scored a scorcher to earn them a point.

The only blemish for Los Blancos was Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who struggled a bit in the shock opening draw with Egypt.

1. Bayern Munich

Standout star: Michael Olise, France

No club team had a better first round of World Cup fixtures than Bayern. Die Roten had a total of 15 players in action; not a single one played poorly, and Michael Olise enchanted the watching world.

Olise moved into a central attacking midfield position for France against Senegal and tore them to shreds. It was a masterclass of passing and vision that even managed to upstage Mbappé's brace. It felt like the watching world sat up and took note.

Bayern enjoyed a typically strong presence in a Germany team that beat Curaçao 7-1; Joshua Kimmich was the pick of the bunch in that fixture, with Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Jonathan Tah and Manuel Neuer also contributing.

Kim Min-Jae was solid for South Korea on opening night in the 2-1 comeback win over Czechia, while fellow center back Dayot Upamecano was almost solely responsible for France fending off Senegal in the first half. Up front, Harry Kane and Luis Díaz both found the back of the net for England and Colombia, respectively, to cap a fine first round for Bayern's stars.