Spain leads the clean-sheet count
Spain recorded seven clean sheets from eight completed matches, the highest total in the reported figures. Its clean-sheet rate is 7 divided by 8, or 87.5%. The next displayed total is four, shared by Mexico, France and Colombia.
The four-team comparison is important because the teams did not play the same number of matches. Mexico and Colombia each reached four clean sheets in five matches, whereas France needed eight matches to record the same count.
| Team | Clean sheets | Matches | Rate | Record (W–D–L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 7 | 8 | 87.5% | 7–1–0 |
| Mexico | 4 | 5 | 80% | 4–0–1 |
| France | 4 | 8 | 50% | 6–0–2 |
| Colombia | 4 | 5 | 80% | 3–2–0 |
| USA | 2 | 5 | 40% | 3–0–2 |
| Brazil | 2 | 5 | 40% | 3–1–1 |
| Ivory Coast | 2 | 4 | 50% | 2–0–2 |
| Argentina | 2 | 8 | 25% | 7–0–1 |
The denominator changes the comparison
Counts answer volume; rates add context
A clean-sheet count measures the number of matches in which a team kept its opponent scoreless. The rate divides that count by the team’s completed matches. Showing both figures prevents a short run and a longer run from being treated as directly equivalent.
Spain’s seven clean sheets came from eight matches, producing an 87.5% rate. Mexico and Colombia each recorded four from five, producing 80%. France also recorded four, but its eight-match denominator reduces the rate to 50%.
That means Spain leads the comparison in both measures: it has three more clean sheets than each of the teams on four and a higher rate than all three. Mexico and Colombia are level on both count and rate, while France is level on count only. The count remains useful because it records more observed clean sheets; the rate shows how frequently they occurred within each team’s sample.
Clean sheets and team outcomes
Similar defensive rates can sit alongside different records
The outcome figures add context without changing the clean-sheet calculation. Spain’s seven clean sheets sit alongside seven wins, one draw and no losses. Mexico’s four clean sheets accompany four wins and one loss. Colombia has the same four-in-five clean-sheet rate as Mexico, but its outcome record is three wins, two draws and no losses. France’s four clean sheets accompany six wins and two losses.
The other reported figures are smaller in total: the USA and Brazil each recorded two clean sheets in five matches, Ivory Coast recorded two in four, and Argentina recorded two in eight. Their corresponding rates are 40%, 40%, 50% and 25%.
What the numbers do not prove
These are observed team-level comparisons, not evidence that clean sheets caused a particular number of wins, draws or losses. A higher clean-sheet rate and a stronger-looking record may appear together, but the figures alone do not establish causation. They describe what happened within the completed-match sample.
Method and coverage
The analysis uses team-level clean-sheet counts and team outcomes from the completed-match snapshot. For competition context, the World Cup competition page provides the relevant league view.
- Coverage: 104 completed matches and 48 teams.
- Unit of analysis: team-level clean sheets, matches and win-draw-loss outcomes.
- Rate: clean sheets divided by completed matches.
- Denominators: each team’s match total is shown so the rate can be checked directly.
All figures in the tables refer to completed matches only. The displayed percentages use the exact count and match total shown for each team.
Limitations and interpretation
Read the snapshot, not a causal story
The principal limitation is coverage: this is a completed-match snapshot, so it does not make claims about matches outside that scope. A rate based on four of five matches also represents a different sample size from a rate based on four of eight matches.
The figures are aggregate team totals. They do not by themselves provide match-by-match detail or explain why one team kept a clean sheet and another did not. For that reason, comparisons should remain descriptive. The data can show that Spain had seven clean sheets in eight matches and that France had four in eight; it cannot show that the clean sheets alone produced the teams’ outcome records.
FAQ
Which team recorded the most World Cup 2026 clean sheets?
Spain recorded the most in the reported figures, with seven clean sheets in eight completed matches.
What were Mexico and Colombia’s clean-sheet rates?
Both teams recorded four clean sheets in five matches, giving each an 80% rate.
Why is France’s four-clean-sheet total different from Mexico’s?
France recorded four clean sheets in eight matches, a 50% rate. Mexico recorded four in five, an 80% rate. The clean-sheet count is the same, but the denominators are different.
Do clean sheets prove that a team won more matches?
No. The figures show clean-sheet counts and outcome records together, but they do not establish that clean sheets caused wins or that outcomes caused the defensive results.
What does the analysis cover?
It covers team-level clean sheets and outcomes from 104 completed matches involving 48 teams. Rates are calculated using clean sheets divided by completed matches.