2026 World Cup’s opening round produces most goals per game since 1958

The 2026 FIFA World Cup opening round yielded 75 goals in 24 matches, the highest per-game average for a first round since 1958, according to ESPN.espn
Lionel Messi scored a hat trick to equal the all-time World Cup goals record, while Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé each netted braces in their openers.aljazeera
Nine of 24 matches ended in draws, including upsets by debutants Cape Verde against Spain and DR Congo earning a point against Portugal.espn

2026 World Cup First Round Produces 75 Goals, Highest Average Since 1958

The opening round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded Wednesday night with Colombia’s 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan in Mexico City, capping a first set of group matches that produced 75 goals across 24 games — an average of 3.125 per match. The rate marks the highest for an opening round of World Cup fixtures since Sweden 1958, which remains the most prolific tournament in history with 5.38 goals per game overall.facebook

Stars Deliver, Underdogs Compete

The six days of action featured headline performances from the game’s biggest names. Lionel Messi, at 38, scored his first World Cup hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria, equaling Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 career World Cup goals. Kylian Mbappé netted twice as France beat Senegal 3-1, while Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with a brace in Norway’s 4-1 dismantling of Iraq. Harry Kane also scored twice in England’s 4-2 defeat of Croatia on Wednesday, tying England’s all-time record for World Cup goals.espn

Germany’s 7-1 rout of Curaçao was the round’s highest-scoring match, followed by Sweden’s 5-1 win over Tunisia and England’s six-goal thriller against Croatia. The expanded 48-team format, which pairs established powers against World Cup debutants and smaller nations, has contributed to lopsided scorelines alongside competitive encounters.espn

A Round of Draws

Despite the goal glut, nine of the 24 matches ended level — a 37.5 percent draw rate. June 15 saw four draws in a single day for the first time since 1958, with Spain held scoreless by debutants Cape Verde, Belgium drawing 1-1 with Egypt, Saudi Arabia earning a point against Uruguay, and Iran and New Zealand sharing a 2-2 result. Portugal and DR Congo added another draw on Wednesday.espn

The results left all four South American nations that played in the first round — Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, and Colombia’s opponents — without a win from their opening fixtures, a historic struggle for the continent.espn

What Comes Next

The group stage continues through June 27, with each team playing two more matches before the top two from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best third-place finishers, advance to a round of 32. Pre-tournament projections from The Athletic suggested the expanded format could yield upwards of 280 total goals across the tournament’s 104 matches. At the current pace, that figure appears well within reach.indianexpress