▲ South Korean national team players Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min chat while warming up at the Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, Utah, USA, on the afternoon of June 1 (local time).
South Korean national team midfielder Lee Kang-in (25, Paris Saint-Germain) ranked second in dribble success rate during the first match of the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, while captain Son Heung-min (33, LAFC), who tied for third in total shots, recorded an expected goals (xG) value of 1.01.
On June 18 (Korea Standard Time), the BBC analyzed key statistics from the first round of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup group stage based on data from Opta.
South Korea's Lee Kang-in placed second in the dribble success rate category.
In the first match of Group A against the Czech Republic on June 12, Lee attempted six dribbles and succeeded in five, recording a success rate of 83 percent.
Among players who attempted at least five dribbles, he tied for second place with Mexico's Julián Quiñones (83 percent), trailing only Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo (86 percent).
Son Heung-min, who recorded six shots against the Czech Republic, tied for third in total shots alongside Lionel Messi (Argentina), Dan Ndoye (Switzerland), and Kenan Yıldız (Türkiye).
Arda Güler (8 shots, Türkiye) and Harry Kane (7 shots, England) took first and second place, respectively.
Although Son recorded an expected goals (xG) value of 1.01—a metric quantifying the quality of scoring chances—he did not score a goal.
The BBC commented, "This is a surprising record, considering that Son was one of the most clinical finishers during his time in the English Premier League (EPL)."
Harry Kane, who scored two goals in his first match, had an xG of 1.03, while Lionel Messi, who achieved his first-ever World Cup hat-trick and tied for the most goals in World Cup history, recorded an xG of 1.05.
The player who created the most chances was Pedri (5, Spain).
Pedri recorded an expected assists (xA) of 1.23 in the match against Cape Verde and also ranked at the top in winning possession in the attacking third.
Meanwhile, 9 out of the 24 matches in the first round of the group stage ended in draws, resulting in a draw rate of 37.5 percent.
As of the conclusion of the first round of group stage matches, this is the highest figure since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.