The FIFA Power Ranking players of World Cup 26™ Matchday 1️⃣🔥 | OneFootball

Matchday 1 of World Cup 26™ is done so here is who performed best according to the official FIFA Power Rankings.

Group A

Mexico 2-0 South Africa

Attacking Impact: Julián Quiñones

Host nations star and Al-Qadsiah winger Quiñones was the scorer of the opening goal of the 2026 World Cup™ to top off an outstanding individual performance which saw him top the game's attacking score with 9.2.

His cool low finish set his side on the road to victory but he was also a consistent threat throughout, registering five attempts on goal and completing four ball progressions and take-ons. 

Creativity Influence: Roberto Alvarado

With a Power Rankings Score of 8.9, the Mexico midfielder was the game's biggest creative threat thanks to his continued involvement in ball progression and chance creation.

Alvarado provided an assist with a pinpoint delivery for his side's second goal of the game and broke the defensive line on four occasions, which led to a consistent flow of opportunities for El Tri.

Defending Influence: Jesus Gallardo

Completing a Mexican clean sweep of top performers, the Toluca left-back was the highest ranked player with a score of 8.1 in the Defending category. 

He helped his side start the tournament with a clean sheet by regaining possession on eight occasions, putting in three defensive blocks and winning four of his individual duels, ensuring Mexico reasserted control of the contest.

Group A

Korea Republic 2-1 Czechia

Attacking Impact: Hwang In-beom 

With a Power Rankings Score of 8.8, it was the Korea Republic ace who led the attacking rankings - his impressive overall performance getting the goal it deserved with a delightful dink into the corner of the net.

That shifted the momentum of the contest and led his side to victory.

Creativity Influence: Lee Kang-in 

An 8.2 creativity score was achieved by the PSG star thanks to his progression of possession and breaking of Czechia's lines, finding plenty of space in key areas to do damage.

He broke the defensive line on three occasions, the midfield line on eight and was key to connecting his side's transitions from the back to the final third.

Defending Influence: Kim Min-jae 

The defensive positioning of the Korean centre-back helped him put in a series of timely blocks, interceptions and clearances for a score of 8.3.

He won the ball back on nine occasions and his aggression in winning his duels allowed his side to stifle much of the opposition's attacking threats.

At the FIFA World Cup 2026™, FIFA launched a new individual player ranking system based on data collected during matches. The FIFA Power Rankings provide objective, data-driven insight into player performance.

All outfield players will receive a score between 0-10 in three categories (attacking, creativity and defending). Goalkeepers will be scored in two categories: in possession and defending the goal. A ‘Power Ranking Classification’ will be produced after each match round, showing the top 100 players in each category. The Power Ranking is considered as a measure of match and tournament performance: each player receives a score for each match and for their overall performance in the tournament.