Own goals pile up at record pace as 2026 World Cup becomes highest-scoring in history

Record-breaking scoring has defined the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, and own goals are keeping pace — with the tournament now on track to surpass the all-time mark.

Spain defeated Saudi Arabia 4-0 in a Group H second-round match at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia on Monday, with one of those goals coming from Saudi defender Hassan Al-Tambakti's own goal — the eighth of the tournament.

The United States also benefited from an opponent's own goal. In their Group D opener on June 13, Paraguay's Damian Bodaiya put the ball into his own net to set the Americans on their way to a 4-1 victory. In their second match against Australia, an opposing defender's own goal proved to be the winner.

The record for own goals in a single World Cup is 12, set at the 2018 tournament in Russia. With eight already scored and the group stage still under way — roughly one-third of the full schedule completed — the chances of that record falling look high.

Overall scoring has been just as prolific. The tournament's 100th goal came Saturday during the Group F second-round match between the Netherlands and Sweden, making this only the second World Cup to reach that milestone through 20 games since the 1954 tournament in Switzerland.

The BBC attributed the high-scoring matches to two main factors: the unpredictable flight of the official match ball, the "Trionda," and the influx of weaker sides that came with the tournament's expansion. This World Cup is the first to feature 48 nations, up from the previous format of 32.