2026 World Cup Becomes Highest-Scoring Tournament Since 1958

FIFA World Cup 2026 has gone down as one of the most entertaining tournaments in football history, producing the highest goals-per-game average since 1958.
A total of 308 goals were scored across 104 matches, giving the tournament an impressive average of 2.97 goals per game. That makes the 2026 edition the most prolific FIFA World Cup in nearly seven decades and one of the highest-scoring tournaments ever staged.
The last World Cup to surpass that figure was Sweden 1958, where teams averaged 3.6 goals per match. Since then, no tournament has managed to break the three-goal-per-game barrier. The only edition to match the 2026 average was Mexico 1970, which also finished with 2.97 goals per game.
The all-time scoring record, however, still belongs to FIFA World Cup 1954. Held in Switzerland, the tournament produced an astonishing 140 goals in just 26 matches, resulting in an extraordinary average of 5.38 goals per game—a record that remains untouched.
Only three other editions of the FIFA World Cup have averaged at least four goals per match: France 1938 (4.67), Italy 1934 (4.12) and Brazil 1950 (4.00).
