FIFA President Gianni Infantino hails the achievement as evidence of the tournament's entertaining, attack-minded football (Photo from AP) - June 26, 2026
World Cup 2026 becomes highest-scoring tournament in history with record-breaking 173rd goal
The 2026 FIFA World Cup becomes the highest-scoring edition in the tournament's history after an early goal by the US’ Auston Trusty broke the previous record set in Qatar four years ago
THE 2026 FIFA World Cup has rewritten the record books after becoming the highest-scoring edition in the tournament's history, surpassing the previous all-time mark with five matches of the group stage still to spare.
United States defender Auston Trusty scored the landmark 173rd goal of the tournament during his side's Group D clash against Türkiye in Arlington, eclipsing the previous record of 172 goals set at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The record did not stand still for long, with Türkiye scoring twice before half-time and both teams adding another goal after the interval to lift the tournament total to 177 goals.
Remarkably, the new record was achieved after only 59 matches of the expanded tournament.
By comparison, the previous record of 172 goals was reached only after all 64 matches had been completed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 2026 tournament features a significantly expanded format comprising 48 teams and 104 matches, an increase of 40 fixtures from the previous 64-match format used when 32 nations competed.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailed the achievement as evidence of the tournament's entertaining, attack-minded football.
"Surpassing the previous record of 172 goals in Qatar demonstrates the excitement and quality of attacking football that has made the 2026 World Cup so unforgettable," Reuters cited Infantino saying in a post on Instagram.
The milestone underlines the attacking nature of the competition, with the expanded format already producing a record-breaking number of goals well before the knockout stages have concluded. - June 26, 2026
