IFFHS CONTINENTAL STATS - EUROPE WORLD CUP 2026 QUALIFIERS
Picture : Mikel Merino, making first hat-trick in his career, became the highest-scoring European midfielder at national team level in 2025 (5 goals in 6 matches).
Statistics on WC 2026 qualifiers in Europe (7 September)
Lithuania vs Netherlands 2-3
*A hard-fought victory for the Netherlands in a historic match for Memphis Depay: with his brace, he reaches 52 goals (in 104 games) for the national team and surpasses Robin van Persie's all-time national record of 50 goals in his 102 matches as a full international.
*Sem Steijn became the first player in 10 years to make his debut for “Oranje” after scoring his 50th goal in the Eredivisie (since Bas Dost in March 2015).
Germany vs Northern Ireland 3-1
*The Germans' dreadful streak of 3 defeats was finally broken. Before that, they lost 1-2 to Portugal, 0-2 to France in the Nations League and then began the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a 0-2 defeat to Slovakia.
This is the first case in Germany’s history when they lost 3 competitive matches in a row.
Overall, they linked 3 defeats several times, but it always were in friendlies (the last time 3 defeats in a row they suffered in 2023, in friendly matches to Poland, Colombia and Japan on their way to the home Euro 2024).
Belgium vs Kazakhstan 6-0
*Kevin De Bruyne scored his 33rd and 34th goals for Belgium, overtaking Eden Hazard (33) as the team's all-time 2nd best scorer but with no chance to catch up dominating the national record holder Romelu Lukaku (89 goals).
*Belgium have now scored in 23 consecutive World Cup qualifying matches: their longest ever run.
Turkey vs Spain 0-6
*This is the second-highest score by which Spain have won an away match in World Cup qualifying. The biggest win was against Liechtenstein in September 2017 (8-0).
Another 6-0 happened against San Marino in October 2005.
*Spain is the first team to score half a dozen goals against Turkey on Turkish soil since England did so 41 years ago (8-0).
Overall, Turkey lost a home game by 6+ goal margin for the 4th time (also 0-6 vs Czechoslovakia in 1965, 0-6 vs Hungary in 1984).
*Spain have scored 2+ goals in 9 consecutive matches. The last match when they failed to score twice is dated back to 12 October 2024 (1-0 vs Denmark).
*Mikel Merino, making first hat-trick in his career, became the highest-scoring European midfielder at national team level in 2025 (5 goals in 6 matches).
*Merino is only the second midfielder to score a hat-trick for Spain in the last 15 years (along with Isco vs Argentina in 2018).
*Alvaro Morata became the first player to appear for Spain representing 7 different clubs (Juventus, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Milan, Galatasaray and Como).
*Robin Le Normand keeps being unbeaten with Spain (0 defeats in his 24 matches for Spain).
Fabián Ruiz (who did not play vs Turkey) has a longer similar record (39 caps without defeats).
*Spain repeated their starting lineup in 2 matches (including away 3-0 vs Bulgaria) separated by just 3 days for the 3rd time in their history.
Coach Guillermo Eizaguirre did it in the 1950 World Cup against Chile and England.
José Emilio Santamaría repeated it in two friendlies played in South America against Colombia and Chile in 1981.
*Englishman Michael Oliver refereed Spain's 8th match. He is the second referee to officiate 8 matches for Spain.
The first was Belgian Langenus between 1929 and 1936.