The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, has already become the highest-scoring tournament in history. So far, teams have netted 177 goals, surpassing the total of 172 goals scored during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
This increase in goals is not solely due to a rise in scoring efficiency—although that factor plays a role—but largely because of the expanded number of participating teams. The previous World Cup featured 32 nations, whereas the current tournament includes 48 teams, resulting in more matches overall. Additionally, a new knockout round, the round of 32, has been introduced.
Despite these changes, the goal-scoring rate at the 2026 World Cup is genuinely impressive, reaching an average of 2.95 goals per game—the highest in the 21st century. In comparison, the 2022 tournament in Qatar had an average of 2.69 goals per match.
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