Rodri, Laporte and Cubarsí: The World Cup's Passing Masters

Throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Spain showed that success was about more than simply winning—it was about doing so with an attractive, effective brand of football. The tournament's official statistics underline that philosophy, with La Roja leading all teams for passing, recording 5,470 passes, including 4,945 completed, across eight matches.

That equates to an average of 685.8 passes per game and an outstanding 90% pass-completion rate, the highest total of any team at the tournament.

Spain's dominance extended beyond the team statistics. Individually, three players from Luis de la Fuente's squad occupied the top three places for total passes completed during the competition.

Captain Rodri led the way, attempting 799 passes and completing 747 at a 93% success rate—an average of almost 100 passes per match.

Behind him came central defenders Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte. Cubarsí completed 668 of his 690 passes, achieving a remarkable 97% accuracy, while Laporte completed 618 of 660, finishing with a 94% success rate.

The first non-Spanish player on the list was Argentina's Leandro Paredes, with 565 passes (532 completed), followed by England's Marc Guehi, who recorded 532 passes (514 completed).

Spain's Marc Cucurella also featured among the tournament's top ten passers, completing 474 passes, with two of them resulting in goal assists.