Real Madrid top World Cup club scoring table despite Spain snub
ESPN reports Real Madrid players scored 22 goals at the 2026 World Cup, more than any other club, even as Spain won without a Madrid-heavy squad.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Real Madrid did not lift the World Cup, Spain did. Still, ESPN reported that players on Madrid’s books finished the 2026 tournament with more goals than those from any other club.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in Sunday’s final in New Jersey, with Barcelona forward Ferran Torres scoring late to win it for La Roja. ESPN noted the finish echoed Andrés Iniesta’s extra-time winner for Spain in the 2010 final.
The final had been framed around Barcelona royalty old and new, according to ESPN: Lionel Messi for Argentina and Lamine Yamal for Spain. The club scoring race, though, belonged to Barça’s great domestic rival.
Madrid’s scorers did the damage
ESPN’s tally put Real Madrid first with 22 goals at the tournament. Kylian Mbappé scored 10 for France and won his second Golden Boot, while Jude Bellingham added seven for England.
Vinícius Júnior scored four for Brazil and Arda Güler got one for Türkiye, completing Madrid’s total.
The haul came after an awkward start for the club’s Spanish footprint. ESPN reported that Spain selected a World Cup squad with no Real Madrid players for the first time, although Marc Cucurella’s move from Chelsea to Madrid was confirmed during the tournament.
Cucurella was Madrid’s only player to reach the final, according to ESPN. Spain still won the trophy, while Madrid won the club-by-club scoring bragging rights.
PSG, Arsenal and Bayern followed
Paris Saint-Germain ranked second in ESPN’s list with 15 goals. Ousmane Dembélé scored six for France, Bradley Barcola three for France, Ibrahim Mbaye two for Senegal, and João Neves, Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi and Fabián Ruiz each scored once.
Arsenal were third on 13 goals, the highest-placed Premier League club in the ESPN ranking. Their total came from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard, Viktor Gyökeres, Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice.
Bayern Munich placed fourth with 12. ESPN credited Harry Kane with six for England, Ismael Saibari with three for Morocco, and Luis Díaz, Nathaniel Brown and Jamal Musiala with one each.
ESPN said Bayern’s total was helped by Saibari’s move from PSV Eindhoven on July 1, before Morocco’s quarterfinal defeat to France.
- Real Madrid: 22 goals
- Paris Saint-Germain: 15
- Arsenal: 13
- Bayern Munich: 12
- Crystal Palace, Inter Miami, Manchester United and Sunderland: 8 each
Messi lifted Inter Miami’s tally
Inter Miami reached the joint-fifth group through Messi alone, according to ESPN. The Argentina captain scored eight goals: three against Algeria, two against Austria, one against Cape Verde and one against Egypt, with ESPN’s published breakdown accounting for seven of the eight by opponent.
ESPN also reported that Atlético Madrid had the most players involved in the final, with nine representatives in New Jersey. Barcelona had eight finalists, all in Spain’s squad.
Atlético’s presence continued a pattern noted by ESPN. The club also had the most representatives at the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals, with four players involved in each.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.