Unai Simón has quietly climbed into joint third on FIFA’s all-time list for World Cup clean sheets after Spain’s run to the 2026 final.
FIFA’s updated rankings, released after Wednesday’s semi-finals, show Simón has eight clean sheets in 11 World Cup appearances — matching Jan Jongbloed, Emerson Leão, Sepp Maier, Taffarel, Thibaut Courtois and Hugo Lloris. Not bad company.
The all-time lead remains shared by France’s Fabien Barthez and England’s Peter Shilton, who each have 10 clean sheets in 17 World Cup games. Barthez got five shutouts in France’s 1998 win, one in 2002 and four in 2006. Shilton had four in 1982, three in 1986 and three more in 1990.
Simón’s total jumped thanks to Spain’s 2026 campaign: six clean sheets in seven matches, on top of two from the 2022 tournament. Behind the joint leaders, Brazil’s Alisson and Gilmar, Spain’s Iker Casillas, Uruguay’s Fernando Muslera and Germany’s Manuel Neuer sit tied for 10th with seven clean sheets each.
FIFA published the update after Spain’s 2-0 semi-final win over France. Simón has conceded just four goals in 11 World Cup games, a 0.36 goals-conceded average — the best among keepers in the top tier.
Here are the rankings (updated July 15, 2026):
1. Fabien Barthez (France) – 10 clean sheets (17 appearances)
2. Peter Shilton (England) – 10 clean sheets (17 appearances)
3. Unai Simón (Spain) – 8 clean sheets (11 appearances)
4. Jan Jongbloed (Netherlands) – 8 clean sheets (12 appearances)
5. Emerson Leão (Brazil) – 8 clean sheets (14 appearances)
6. Sepp Maier (West Germany) – 8 clean sheets (18 appearances)
7. Taffarel (Brazil) – 8 clean sheets (18 appearances)
8. Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) – 8 clean sheets (21 appearances)
9. Hugo Lloris (France) – 8 clean sheets (20 appearances)
10. Alisson (Brazil) – 7 clean sheets (14 appearances)
11. Gilmar (Brazil) – 7 clean sheets (14 appearances)
12. Iker Casillas (Spain) – 7 clean sheets (17 appearances)
13. Fernando Muslera (Uruguay) – 7 clean sheets (19 appearances)
14. Manuel Neuer (Germany) – 7 clean sheets (23 appearances)
Note: FIFA lists players with the same number of clean sheets as joint positions.
