The World Cup keeps serving daily snapshots of form, and July 11 delivered a tidy one. Sofascore’s Team of the Day highlights who drove their sides on this matchday. The XI blends Argentina’s core, England’s control and a lively Norwegian trio. Here is how the performances stacked up, strictly by Sofascore Rating.

Messi headlines a sharp front three

Lionel Messi tops the list with an 8.9 Sofascore Rating, the highest mark in this XI. The number underlines a game where he influenced everything around him. Alongside him, A. Schjelderup posts an 8.1, a strong return that places the Norwegian on the podium for the day. J. Alvarez completes the attack with a 7.6, rounding out a frontline that stayed comfortably above the day’s average.

These three marks indicate threat, chance creation and decision making that stood out against the field. None hit the perfect 10, yet the ceiling of 8.9 shows one clear standout. The spread between 8.9 and 7.6 also tells us the forward unit was consistently effective. For a single matchday, that is exactly the kind of balance coaches want to see. On Sofascore, that balance usually converts into steady momentum and territory, which this XI reflects.

Midfield balance, with Bellingham driving the tempo

J. Bellingham’s 8.4 is the engine-room headline and the second-best mark overall. He sits between two Argentines, A. Mac Allister at 7.6 and L. Paredes at 7.5, giving this midfield both bite and control. The trio’s combined average is 7.83, a touch above the team’s overall average. That points to a middle third that managed the game well on this date.

Mac Allister and Paredes landing within 0.1 of each other is a neat sign of role clarity. Bellingham’s higher figure signals progressive play and clean sequences. Together, they form a unit that supports the front line without exposing the defense. When your midfield is this steady, your attack usually gets better touches and your back line faces fewer waves. The numbers here make that picture clear.

Defense holds firm, with Spence shining and Nyland steady

Across the back four, D. Spence leads with a 7.8, the best defensive mark in the XI. L. Martínez checks in at 7.3, while J. Stones posts a 7.0 and J. Ryerson records a 7.1. The back-four average comes to 7.30, which is solid protection for any knockout-level contest. Stability, not fireworks, is the theme.

Behind them, Ø. Nyland earns a 7.6, comfortably above the defensive mean. That nudges the combined back-five average to 7.42, reinforcing a day defined by reliability. When the goalkeeper outperforms the line average, it usually hints at timely interventions and secure handling. Nothing here screams chaos, which is exactly what every coach wants late in tournaments. On Sofascore, those values tend to show up when defensive spacing and positioning are right.

Which nations owned the day?

Argentina places five players in the XI: L. Messi, J. Alvarez, A. Mac Allister, L. Paredes and L. Martínez. Their collective average is 7.78, just above the team-wide mean, and it is driven by Messi’s 8.9 peak. England contributes three names in J. Bellingham, D. Spence and J. Stones, averaging 7.73 across the trio. Norway rounds out the set with A. Schjelderup, J. Ryerson and Ø. Nyland at a 7.60 average.

Overall, the 11-player average sits at 7.72, a healthy figure with no extreme outliers. No one reached a 9.0, but one came close, and the floor never dipped below 7.0. That mix suggests a matchday where top performers were supported by dependable teammates. If you track form daily across a tournament, this is the kind of spread that sustains deep runs. It is also the sort of distribution Sofascore users scan first when comparing squads.

A tidy snapshot of July 11

From Messi’s near-9 to a defense stacked with 7s, July 11 reads like a balanced performance day. The XI blends star power with solid contributions, and the national split tells a simple story: Argentina and England supplied control, while Norway added key moments. For fans sorting through World Cup 2026 player performance, these Sofascore Ratings offer a quick, data-led view.

You can follow live player metrics, heat maps and every new Sofascore Rating on the app or web. As the tournament continues, expect this daily XI to keep revealing who is peaking at the right time.