2026 World Cup: Top 20 goalkeepers after matchday 1

19.06.26 FT World Cup

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Mohammed Al-Owais stole the spotlight on the opening matchday of the World Cup, heroically denying a barrage of Uruguayan attempts on goal.

The Saudi goalkeeper was instrumental in securing a 1-1 draw for his side, racking up nine saves in total, including four inside the box. Two punched clearances and a pair of commanding aerial interventions also eased the pressure on his defense as they withstood relentless opposition attacks in the area.

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The Green Falcons' shot-stopper leads the pack ahead of Australia's Patrick Beach, who made 8 saves in his side's 2-0 victory over Turkey.

Vozinha, the iconic Cape Verde goalkeeper, became the third player over 40 to keep a clean sheet at the World Cup, while Croatia's Dominik Livaković shares third place with seven stops apiece.

Here are the top goalkeepers of matchday 1:

1 - Mohammed Al-Owais (Saudi Arabia): 9

2 - Patrick Beach (Australia): 8

3 - Vozinha (Cape Verde): 7

4 - Dominik Livaković (Croatia): 7

5 - Alireza Beiranvand (Iran): 6

6 - Mahmud Abunada (Qatar): 5

7 - Edouard Mendy (Senegal): 5

8 - Zion Suzuki (Japan): 4

9 - Matěj Kovář (Czechia): 4

10 - Bono (Morocco): 4

11 - Eloy Room (Curaçao): 4

12 - Benjamin Asare (Ghana): 3

13 - Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt): 3

14 - Kim Seung-gyu (South Korea): 3

15 - Gregor Kobel (Switzerland): 3

16 - Hernán Galíndez (Ecuador): 3

17 - Luca Zidane (Algeria): 3

18 - Alexander Schlager (Austria): 3

19 - Jordan Pickford (England): 3

20 - Orlando Gill (Paraguay): 3

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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