Al-Ainawi shines in the World Cup performance.

The official performance rankings released by FIFA have seen massive jumps for six players during the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, as these advanced statistics rely on measuring the actual impact of players on the field across three main categories: attacking, playmaking, and defending.

In the attacking category, Canadian forward Jonathan David made a rocket rise of 176 places to rank tenth in the world after scoring a hat-trick against Qatar during a resounding 6-0 victory in Vancouver, leading the match in expected goals with eight attempts on target.

Brazilian Matheus Cunha also jumped 174 places to settle in 11th after taking advantage of a starting opportunity in coach Carlo Ancelotti's lineup and scoring two goals that led the Samba team to a 3-0 win over Haiti.

In terms of playmaking and creativity, Brazilian Lucas Paquetá advanced 211 places to reach 41st thanks to his creative performance against Haiti, providing an assist and breaking through the opponent's defensive lines 11 times.

Czech defender Vladimír Coufal made a surprising rise of 93 places to rank 32nd after excelling in delivering crosses and creating dangerous chances during his country's 1-1 draw against South Africa.

In the defensive aspect, Moroccan Nail Al-Ainawi was the standout performer from the back, rising 211 places to rank 11th in the world after delivering an outstanding defensive performance in midfield that contributed to the Atlas Lions' 1-0 victory over Scotland, having regained possession eight times, saving four shots, and making seven successful tackles.

Meanwhile, American defender Chris Richards climbed 165 places to rank fifth in the defensive standings after leading his country's defense to keep a clean sheet and win against Australia 2-0, regaining possession on 10 occasions.