Stats Perform

Some World Cup stats are too good not to send to the person they’re about.

After Erling Haaland scored seven goals from his first 18 shots at the FIFA World Cup, OptaJoe posted that his 39% shot conversion was the best at a single tournament since Gary Lineker in 1986.

Our team shared the stat with producers of The Rest Is Football, who we’ve been working with throughout the tournament.

It was then shown on the programme with full OptaJoe credit, sparking a great discussion, and plenty of Micah Richards banter, about one World Cup record Haaland still has not quite beaten.

With England preparing to face Haaland’s Norway in the quarter-finals, it is a great example of how Opta’s historical data can bring old records back into the conversation at exactly the right moment.

The World Cup is taking most of the attention, but the transfer window has not slowed down.

The Overlap Breakdown recently used OptaVision data and graphics to look at reported moves involving Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, showing how player data can add more context to transfer discussions.

From line-breaking passes to pressure maps and player profiles, OptaVision helps media partners show what a player does well and how they could fit into a team.

Great to see Opta data being used to bring more depth to transfer-window storytelling.

See how OptaVision supports football analysis 👇
https://bit.ly/4yjcA1U

Another World Cup has just wrapped up in England, with Australia winning the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Behind the scenes, our Opta Data Insights team supported the ICC throughout the tournament with preview packs, daily stats packs, pre and post-match insights, NRR calculators and Helpdesk support.

That content helped media, broadcasters, teams and officials follow the tournament with the context they needed each day, including support around the ICC’s Team of the Tournament selection.

A big shoutout to our Australian and Indian Data Insights teams for all their work across the competition, and thank you to the ICC for the kind feedback:

“Hugely valuable, thanks for the support and quick turnaround.”

Read the ICC Team of the Tournament 👇
https://bit.ly/4pbKWQ8

Women's T20 World Cup 2026 Team of the Tournament unveiled | ICC Women's T20 World Cup, 2026 | ICC Four players from champion Australian side made it into the Team of the Tournament.

Brazil’s World Cup exit has sparked plenty of debate, and one Opta Fact became a big part of the conversation.

In their 2-1 defeat to Norway, Brazil had just 34% possession, their lowest share in a World Cup match since Opta records began in 1966.

For most teams, that would be a striking number. For Brazil, it says even more.

CazéTV used the stat in their post-match discussion, crediting Opta as the panel talked through Brazil’s approach and why the performance felt so different from what people expect from the Seleção.

The story was then picked up across major Brazilian media, showing how quickly the right stat can become part of the wider football conversation.

Can Jude Bellingham be England’s difference-maker again?

Ahead of England’s next FIFA World Cup knockout match, attention will once again turn to the players who can shape the biggest moments.

Before England’s win over DR Congo, our team shared a bespoke Opta insight with the BBC showing Bellingham’s impact for England in major tournaments compared with non-tournament matches.

Moments before kick-off, that data was used on air to support Wayne Rooney’s point that Bellingham, alongside Harry Kane, is one of England’s key big-game players.

It is a great example of how proactive Opta insight helps broadcasters add trusted context to live coverage, turning analysis into clearer stories for millions of fans watching at home.