We are nearly one-third of the way through the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with 33 of 104 games complete, and we’ve hit our first major scoring milestone: 100 goals!
For trivia fans, the Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo was the man to take this tournament to the century mark with his second goal in the Oranje‘s 5-1 demolition of Sweden in Group F, and what a fine goal it was, too. The Liverpool winger drifted wide, received a quick pass to feet from Crysencio Summerville, cut infield onto his right foot and lashed a low shot beyond Kristoffer Nordfeldt.
Delicious.
And so, with that impressive mark now in the rearview mirror — after Germany vs. Ivory Coast, we’re already up to 104 — let’s break down how we got here.
Editor’s Note: this is only counting the first 100 goals, meaning everything after Gakpo’s goal were excluded from the below. All stats courtesy of ESPN Global Sports Research.
Read more:Paraguay’s Almiron becomes first to be sent off for covering mouth
Goals by half:
– 46 in first half
– 54 in second half
Goals by body part:
– 55 by right foot
– 22 by left foot
– 16 headers
Seven own goals were excluded from the count
Goals by location:
– 80 inside penalty area
– 13 outside penalty area
Seven own goals were excluded from the count
Read more:U.S. clinches Group D as 10-man Paraguay edges Turkey
When goals were scored, by 15-minute intervals:
– 12 in minutes 1-15
– 15 in minutes 16-30
– 19 in minutes 31-45 (plus stoppage time)
– 13 in minutes 46-60
– 13 in minutes 61-75
– 28 in minutes 76-90 (plus stoppage time)
Of the 19 goals from set pieces:
– 1 by direct free kick
– 10 by corner kick
– 5 by set piece free kick
– 3 by throw-in set piece
(Teams are also 6-for-6 from the penalty spot so far, though those goals are not counted at set pieces)
Overall goals per game: 102 goals in 33 games (3.1 goals per game)
Read more:Menopause: Hormone therapy linked to 69% lower risk of thinning bones
At this pace, we’re set to smash the all-time record of 172 (64 games) set at Qatar 2022, though with the obvious caveat of having 16 more teams, and 40 more matches, in the tournament overall.
However, we’re way off the pace in terms of most goals per game over the course of the World Cup, which was 5.4 per game in 1954 (140 goals in 26 games). At present, 2026 ranks seventh on the all-time list behind 1954, 1938 (4.7 goals per game), 1934 (4.1), 1950 (4.0), 1930 (3.9) and 1958 (3.6).
And finally, teams that score first are 22-9-1 (W-D-L) so far at this tournament, while teams leading at halftime are 16-5-0.
