The 2026 World Cup is producing plenty of goals, but it is also on pace to break an unflattering record for own goals. After 29 matches, there have already been seven own goals, the latest coming when Cameron Burgess turned the ball into his own net to give the United States an early lead against Australia.
The current tournament total is still short of the all-time mark of 12 own goals set at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but the article notes that six more own goals before the end of the competition would be enough to break that record. It says that is far from impossible.
In the scoring chart, Lionel Messi and Jonathan David are the joint top scorers so far with three goals each, but the own goal category is effectively leading the tournament. For Burgess, the mistake added to a rough season, as it was his fourth own goal overall, including one for Swansea in the Championship.
The article was published on June 19, 2026, and frames the tournament's unusual scoring pattern as one of the early statistical stories of World Cup 2026.
