Why it has been a World Cup for goal-scoring milestones so far in 2026

There have been 280 goals scored in the 96 games to date, an average of 2.92 per match, beating every World Cup since the one played 56 years ago.

On that occasion, there were just 32 matches, but they produced 2.97 goals per game, a tally that has not been topped since. The current tournament is also better than the 1962 and 1966 editions, which both produced 2.78 goals per game.

The gold standard remains the 1954 World Cup, which produced 140 goals in just 26 matches, an average of 5.38 per game, a ratio that is unlikely to ever be topped.

The tournament with the fewest goals on average was Italia 1990 with 2.21 per game, while the last three editions, all containing 64 matches, were quite consistent in 2014 with 2.67, 2018 with 2.64 and 2022 with 2.69.

Perhaps it has been the fact there have been more minnow sides in the expanded 48-team competition, but there has been a big jump from those tournaments.

There was a major milestone reached in this tournament, with Enzo Fernandez’s dramatic winner for Argentina against Egypt taking the number of World Cup goals scored to 3,000.

Messi has extended his all-time record number of World Cup goals by a player to 21, and also taken his top mark of scoring in consecutive World Cup finals matches to nine.

But hovering just behind him is Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, who will surely surpass him at some stage, perhaps even in the next tournament in 2030. He currently has 19 goals in World Cups.

Mbappe has also extended his record for goals scored in World Cup knockout matches to 11, more than any other player has managed.

Pape Gueye from Senegal has scored the goal with the most velocity, with his strike against Iraq reaching 131.9km/h, while Hans Vanaken from Belgium scored from the furthest out against the United States at 32.45 metres.