Record-Breaking World Cup Sees Historic Goal Tally and Record Crowds

NEW YORK: The 2026 FIFA World Cup has set a new scoring record, surpassing the previous edition’s goals tally before the knockout stage has even begun. After 60 matches, the tournament co-hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada has produced 176 goals, eclipsing the 172 scored across all 64 matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

USA defender Auston Trusty netted the record-breaking 173rd goal during his side’s final Group Stage match against Turkey.

The rise in goals has been driven largely by the expanded 48-team format, which increased the number of matches from 64 to 104, giving the tournament far more opportunities to rewrite scoring records.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino praised this achievement as another sign of the tournament’s success. “Surpassing the previous highest of 172 goals from Qatar shows the excitement and attacking talent that have already made the 2026 World Cup so unforgettable,” Infantino wrote on Instagram.

Moreover, the FIFA World Cup 2026 has also broken the all-time attendance record. A total of 3,605,357 fans have attended the tournament so far, the highest attendance in the history of the competition. The tournament’s previous all-time cumulative attendance record was 3.5 million, established at the 1994 edition, by the end of the group stage.

“This is a true reflection of our fans’ love for the beautiful game and football’s ability to bring people together to celebrate, feel joy, and share emotions that unite. The scenes inside the stadiums and across our 16 fantastic host cities have been incredible and I thank you for coming from all corners of the globe to light up this @fifaworldcup,” Infantino said.

“The best is still to come and we will set more records, but what is most important is that people continue to have fun and create memories for life,” he added. Agencies

Number of goals in each World Cup:

1930 -     70 goals in 18 matches

1934 -     70 goals in 17 matches

1938 -     84 goals in 18 matches

1950 -     88 goals in 22 matches

1954 -     140 goals in 26 matches

1958 -     126 goals in 35 matches

1962 -     89 goals in 32 matches

1966 -     89 goals in 32 matches

1970 -     95 goals in 32 matches

1974 -     97 goals in 38 matches

1978 -     102 goals in 38 matches

1982 -     146 goals in 52 matches

1986 -     132 goals in 52 matches

1990 -     115 goals in 52 matches

1994 -     141 goals in 52 matches

1998 -     171 goals in 64 matches

2002 -     161 goals in 64 matches

2006 -     147 goals in 64 matches

2010 -     145 goals in 64 matches

2014 -     171 goals in 64 matches

2018 -     169 goals in 64 matches

2022 -     172 goals in 64 matches

2026 -   176 goals in 60 matches*

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