Premier League leads the World Cup with 46 goals. Nobody comes close
The first phase of the World Cup confirmed what the numbers had already been signalling: no national championship places as many decisive players in the competition as the Premier League. At the close of the group stage, the athletes who play in the English top flight totalled 46 goals – practically double the second-placed in the ranking.
An expressive advantage over the European rivals
La Liga appears in second position, with 26 goals scored by its players. The gap of 20 goals to the English league is considerable and reflects not only the concentration of talent in English football, but also the volume of competitive national teams that count on players competing there. The Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A close the European top five, with 18, 16 and 14 goals respectively. Together, the four other main leagues of the continent – excluding the Premier League – total 74 goals. The English league, alone, already reaches 46.
| League | Goals |
|---|---|
| Premier League (England) | 46 |
| La Liga (Spain) | 26 |
| Bundesliga (Germany) | 18 |
| Ligue 1 (France) | 16 |
| Serie A (Italy) | 14 |
Haaland leads, Matheus Cunha surprises
Among the English league’s players, Erling Haaland stands out with four goals scored for the Norwegian national team. The Manchester City centre-forward confirms at the World Cup the absurd level he has been showing for his club for two seasons.
Right behind, with three goals each, appear Matheus Cunha, for Brazil wearing the Manchester United shirt, Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace, Yoane Wissa of Newcastle, and Brian Brobbey of Sunderland. The presence of players from smaller Premier League clubs on this list says a lot about the depth of the English championship.
MLS overtakes the Brazilian league, Messi dominates the overall scoring
Outside Europe, the one drawing attention is the MLS. The North American league occupies a prominent position in the survey – and the reason has a first and last name: Lionel Messi scored six goals in three matches with Argentina. On his own, the Inter Miami number 10 placed the United States league ahead of championships with far more consolidated tradition.
The Brazilian league appears only in 13th position, with three goals. Those responsible are Maurício, for Paraguay, Gonzalo Plata, for Ecuador, and Canobbio, for Uruguay. None of them play for clubs of great expression in Serie A, which highlights a shortfall in the presence of high-level Brazilian players in the country.
In the competition’s overall scoring, Messi leads comfortably. Mbappé, Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior and Haaland appear tied in second position, with four goals each. The Argentine also made history by surpassing Miroslav Klose’s record to become the all-time top scorer in World Cup history, with 19 goals over his career. He also scored in seven consecutive games of the tournament – counting the final stretch of 2022 and the current edition. A streak that hardly anyone will repeat.
