Salah leads 2026 World Cup in chances created before facing Messi

Mohamed Salah, captain of the Egyptian national team, has emerged as the top player for chances created in the 2026 World Cup. Sky Sports and the statistics website FootMob revealed that Salah is tied with Belgium's Leandro Trossard, both having created 16 chances.

However, Salah surpasses Trossard in chance creation rate, averaging 4.3 chances per 90 minutes compared to Trossard's four. This statistic was bolstered by Salah's performance in Egypt's Round of 32 match against Australia, which Egypt won 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. In that game, Salah created five chances and successfully converted a Panenka-style penalty.

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Salah is tied with Belgium’s Leandro Trossard at the top of the list with 16 chances each – but the Pharaohs’ captain surpasses him due to his chance creation rate, averaging 4.3 chances per 90 minutes, compared to just four for Trossard.

Other notable players in chance creation include Morocco's Achraf Hakimi in third place with 14 chances, followed by England's Declan Rice, Germany's Florian Wirtz, and Senegal's Sadio Mane. The Ivory Coast's Yann Diomande is seventh with 11 chances, while Colombia's James Rodriguez, Uruguay's Maxi Araujo, and Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne round out the top ten. Stars like Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi have created nine chances so far.

Salah is now preparing to lead Egypt in a highly anticipated Round of 16 match against Argentina on Tuesday evening, a fixture that will pit him against Lionel Messi.

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Salah also scored one of the penalties with a Panenka-style chip.