FIFA has released key statistics ahead of the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals, with Brazil and Germany absent, Spain yet to concede and Messi, Mbappe and Haaland battling for the Golden Boot
For the first time in World Cup history, neither Brazil nor Germany have reached the quarter-finals. The two traditional powerhouses had never before both fallen before the quarter-final stage in the same tournament.
World Cup 2026: FIFA Reveals Key Quarter-final Stats as Brazil, Germany Miss Out
The FIFA World Cup 2026 enters the quarter-final stage this week with eight teams still chasing football’s biggest prize and a tournament already defined by historic upsets, defensive masterclasses and an increasingly fierce Golden Boot race.
Quarter-final matches will be played between July 9 and 11, with France facing Morocco, Spain taking on Belgium, Norway meeting England and Argentina battling Switzerland for places in the last four.
Ahead of the knockout clashes, FIFA highlighted a series of remarkable statistics that underline how this year’s tournament has reshaped the global football landscape.
For the first time in World Cup history, neither Brazil nor Germany have reached the quarter-finals. While Germany previously failed to make the last eight in 1938, 1950, 2018 and 2022, and Brazil exited before that stage in 1934, 1966 and 1990, the two traditional powerhouses had never before both fallen before the quarter-final stage in the same tournament.
Four teams that reached the quarter-finals in Qatar 2022—Argentina, England, France and Morocco—have repeated the feat in North America. With Argentina and France on opposite sides of the draw, the two finalists from Qatar could meet again in the final, potentially producing the first back-to-back World Cup final pairing since Argentina and West Germany contested the 1986 and 1990 finals.
Half of the remaining teams are chasing a first-ever World Cup title. While Argentina are three-time champions, France have won twice, and England and Spain have one title each, Belgium, Morocco, Norway and Switzerland are all seeking their maiden triumph. Should any of them lift the trophy, they would become the first new world champions since Spain’s victory in 2010.
Norway have emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest surprises. Led by Erling Haaland, the Scandinavians stunned Brazil in the Round of 16 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. Their next opponents, England, are making a record 10th appearance at this stage. France have reached the last eight nine times, Argentina eight, Spain five, while Belgium and Switzerland have each done so three times. Morocco are featuring in only their second quarter-final but have already made history by becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in consecutive tournaments after their groundbreaking run to the semi-finals in Qatar.
Europe continues to dominate the competition with six of the eight remaining teams coming from the continent, alongside Argentina from South America and Morocco from Africa. Six of the 12 group winners are also still in contention—Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, France, Argentina and England—while Morocco and Norway are the only quarter-finalists that advanced as runners-up. None of the best third-placed teams survived to the last eight.
France remain the tournament’s standout team, winning all five of their matches in normal time. Argentina have also recorded five victories but required extra time to eliminate Cabo Verde in the Round of 32. Spain and England remain unbeaten with four wins and a draw, while Norway are the only remaining side to have suffered a defeat, losing earlier in the tournament to France.
Spain have built their quarter-final run on an outstanding defence, becoming the only team yet to concede a goal after five matches. FIFA noted that this is the first time since Italy at the 1990 World Cup that a team have reached this stage without allowing a single goal. France have conceded only two goals, Switzerland three and Morocco four.
In attack, France and Argentina have been equally prolific, each scoring 14 goals, one more than Belgium. Norway have netted 12, England 11, Morocco 10, while Spain and Switzerland have each scored nine.
The race for the adidas Golden Boot also remains wide open. Lionel Messi leads the scoring chart with eight goals, closely followed by Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland on seven each. England captain Harry Kane has six goals, while Jude Bellingham and Ousmane Dembele have four apiece. Morocco’s Ismael Saibari and Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi have each scored three and remain outside contenders as the tournament heads into its decisive phase.
