Goal rush at World Cup start: own goals already second highest in history

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is already making headlines for an unexpected and unfortunate reason: a surge in own goals. In the first 10 days of the tournament, a total of seven own goals have been scored, marking the second-highest number in World Cup history for this stage of the competition.

This tally is surpassed only by the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, which saw 12 own goals. With the current tournament expanded to 48 teams and featuring 104 matches, there is a significant possibility that the all-time record for own goals could be broken before the competition concludes.

The list of players who have inadvertently put the ball in their own net includes Damián Bobadilla of Paraguay, Australia's Cameron Burgess, Switzerland's Miro Muheim, Qatar's own goal, Egypt's Mohamed Hany, Aymen Hussein from Iraq, and Yazan Al-Arab of Jordan. Notably, Aymen Hussein achieved the rare feat of scoring for both his own team and the opposition in a single match against Norway.

Historically, own goals have accounted for nearly 12 percent of all goals scored in World Cup matches. The first recorded own goal was scored by Mexico's Manuel Rosas in 1930. While five tournaments have passed without any own goals, the current trend highlights a peculiar characteristic of the 2026 edition.