29.06.2026 21:50
In the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a total of 215 goals were scored in 72 matches. This goal tally also set a new World Cup record. Here are all the records broken and unknowns from the group stage of the World Cup...
In the FIFA 2026 World Cup, the first to be held with 48 teams, 72 matches were played in the group stage. In these matches, the net bulged exactly 215 times.
GOAL RECORD BROKEN
With this number of goals, a new World Cup record was also broken. The 172 goals scored in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar were left behind, and a new record was set. France, Germany, and the Netherlands, each scoring 10 goals in the groups, became the top teams on the goal-scoring list.
1,774 SHOTS RECORDED
A total of 1,774 shots were recorded in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the group phase, where 24.6 shots were taken per match, Belgium led this category with 73 shots. In the groups, where 47 out of 48 countries scored a goal, only Panama could not experience this joy. Canada's 6-0 win over Qatar also went down in history as the first time a country from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) scored more than 4 goals in a single match in FIFA World Cup history. Additionally, the 4-1 victory against Paraguay was the first time the USA scored 4 goals in a FIFA World Cup match.
MESSI MADE TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Argentina's captain, Lionel Messi, made history as the first player to score in 7 consecutive FIFA World Cup final matches. Messi also became the tournament's all-time top scorer with 19 goals. Kylian Mbappe is right behind Messi with 16 goals. Mbappe has the chance to surpass Messi in this ranking with goals he might score in the upcoming rounds. Furthermore, Lionel Messi became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in tournament history at 38 years and 357 days old, surpassing Ronaldo, who was 33 years and 130 days old when he scored three goals against Spain in 2018.
RONALDO BECOMES PORTUGAL'S TOP SCORER
Cristiano Ronaldo also reached 10 goals, becoming Portugal's all-time top scorer in FIFA World Cup history, taking over the record previously held by Eusebio with 9 goals.
RECORD BREAKERS
Curaçao's head coach, Dick Advocaat, set a new record as the oldest coach in tournament history at 78 years and 271 days old. Meanwhile, South Africa's head coach, Hugo Broos, aged 74 years and 75 days, became the oldest head coach to win a match in FIFA World Cup history.
Morocco's Ismail Saibari stood out as the first African player to score in 3 consecutive matches in the world's biggest football organization.
Japan's 4-0 win over Tunisia was the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history and the biggest victory ever achieved by a team from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the tournament. Meanwhile, Mexico became the first CONCACAF team to achieve the feat of winning 4 consecutive FIFA World Cup matches for the first time, extending their record. Senegal also became the first African team to score 5 goals in a FIFA World Cup match (against Iraq).
999 OF 1,248 PLAYERS TOOK THE FIELD
A total of 1,248 footballers from 48 countries participated in the tournament. Of these, 999 played in at least one match during the group stage. Additionally, 23 of the 26 footballers in Turkey's World Cup squad took to the field in the 3 matches played. Altay Bayındır, Mert Günok, and Samet Akaydin were the players who did not play for the national team.
68,162 PASSES MADE IN GROUP STAGE
In the group stage, teams made a total of 68,162 passes, with an average of 946.7 passes per match. Spain led this category with 2,191 passes, 2,013 of which were successful. In the groups, where 2,359 successful crosses were made, Canada topped the list with 117.
1,604 FOULS COMMITTED
The group matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup were stopped 1,604 times due to fouls. In the matches, where 22.3 fouls occurred per game, Haiti obstructed their opponents with 55 fouls. Referees showed an average of 2.5 yellow cards per match, totaling 180 yellow cards. The team with the most yellow cards was Paraguay with 8. Additionally, 10 red cards were shown, 2 of which were given to South Africa.