World Cup 2026 opens with a scoring surge, historic first-round average

The first round of the 2026 World Cup delivered a striking goal burst, with 75 goals scored in the opening 24 matches. That works out to 3.125 goals per game, the highest average after a tournament’s first round since the opening group-stage round in 1958, one of the most attack-minded World Cups ever played.

For comparison, the 2022 World Cup had produced 2.5 goals per match after the first round, and the average over the past 40 years has also been 2.5. Since then, no World Cup had reached three goals per game or more at the end of the opening round. The article says only eight of the 48 teams kept a clean sheet.

The piece asks whether the format is encouraging teams to play more openly and attack with more confidence. It says it is too early to answer definitively, but describes the trend as positive.

There were also nine draws among the opening matches, meaning 37.5 percent ended without a winner. That is the highest draw rate since 2010, and only one World Cup since 1954 has produced more draws overall.