European Qualifiers top scorer: Erling Haaland
Baku, November 19, AZERTAC
Erling Haaland has topped the scorer rankings for the group stage of the European Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after registering 16 times as Norway secured their first World Cup finals berth since 1998, according to UEFA.com.
Haaland's tally included five goals in an 11-1 win against Moldova, a hat-trick versus Israel and a remarkable record of at least one goal in each of Norway's eight matches.
The Manchester City striker finished the group stage eight clear of his nearest challengers, England captain Harry Kane, Netherlands forward Memphis Depay and Austria's Marko Arnautović.
Haaland's tally of 16 goals also matched the record for goals scored by a European player in a single World Cup qualifying campaign, set by Poland's Robert Lewandowski over ten games for the 2018 edition.
Arnautović, Depay and Kane, each the all-time top scorer for their respective nations, ended the group stage on eight goals apiece. Kevin De Bruyne, Andrej Kramarić and Spain duo Mikel Oyarzabal and Mikel Merino were all two behind on six. Cristiano Ronaldo ended on five goals, having taken his all-time World Cup qualifying tally to a record 41.
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