IFFHS CONTINENTAL STATS - EUROPE WORLD CUP 2026 QUALIFIERS
Picture : Cristiano Ronaldo has extended his record as the player with the most goals for a national team to 140.
Statistics on WC 2026 qualifiers in Europe (4-6 September)
Armenia vs Portugal 0-5
*Cristiano Ronaldo has now 38 goals in World Cup qualifiers, moving him ahead of Lionel Messi (36) and just one goal behind the record holder Guatemala's Carlos Ruiz (39).
*Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 10 goals in his last 10 competitive games for Portugal, including in each of his last four.
Also, he has scored in 7 of his last 8 matches for club and country.
Slovakia vs Germany 2-0
*For the first time, Germany lost their opening World Cup qualifier.
*For the first time, Germany lost an away World Cup qualifier. They had amazing statistics before: 41 wins, 10 draws and 0 defeats in 51 World Cup qualifiers as a visiting team.
*Germany ended their impressive run of 18 consecutive away wins in World Cup qualifying, that started after a 3-3 draw against Finland in 2008.
*Only for the second time, Germany have lost a World Cup qualifier by more than one goal, after the 1-5 home defeat to England in September 2001.
Netherlands vs Poland 1-1
*For the first time in their history, Netherlands fielded in the starting lineup as many as 8 players representing clubs from the same foreign league (English Premier League).
Bulgaria vs Spain 0-3
*Spain under Luis de la Fuente haven't lost their last 21 matches (16 wins, 5 draws), surpassing the similar 20-game run under Julen Lopetegui in 2018 (14 wins, 6 draw) and recording the best unbeaten run since Vicente del Bosque's 26 games between 2011 and 2013 (20 wins, 6 draws).
*At the same time, Spain have gone already 26 competitive matches unbeaten (21 wins, 5 draws). Their last defeat in a non-friendly game is dated back to March 2023 (0-2 vs Scotland).
It is their 2nd longest competitive unbeaten run after 29 games between 2010 and 2013.
*Spain have scored in their last 44 World Cup qualifying matches. Their last match of this kind without a goal was a 0-0 in Belgrade against Serbia and Montenegro on 30 March 2005.
Italy vs Estonia 5-0
*Gennaro Gattuso became the third coach to win on his debut with Italy in the XXI century, after Antonio Conte (2-0 vs Netherlands in September 2014) and Roberto Mancini (2-1 vs Saudi Arabia in May 2018).
Ukraine vs France 0-2
*Kylian Mbappé has scored his 51st goal for France, equalling Thierry Henry as the 2nd highest scorer ever of the team (only behind Olivier Giroud, 57 goals).
*France won their opening World Cup qualifying match by at least two goals for the first time in more than 40 years (since 13 October 1984, 4-0 against Luxembourg).
England vs Andorra 2-0
*Marcus Rashford became the second ever England’s player representing Barcelona, after Gary Lineker from 1986 to 1989.