Paraguay stunned Turkey just 65 seconds into their match on June 20, 2026, when midfielder Matías Galarza struck a powerful shot from outside the box after a quick start by the white and red side. The goal came after Paraguay had opened the tournament with a 4-1 loss to the United States.
Galarza’s strike is the fastest goal scored so far at the 2026 World Cup, breaking a record that had stood for only five hours. Earlier, Morocco’s Ismail Saibari had scored after 71 seconds against Scotland. Galarza also became the only player in World Cup history to both score and receive a yellow card within the first four minutes of a match, with the booking coming in the 3:26 minute.
It was also the second-fastest goal in Paraguay’s World Cup history. That national record still belongs to Celso Ayala, who scored after 52 seconds against Nigeria at the 1998 World Cup. The all-time World Cup record remains Hakan Sukur’s 10.8-second goal for Turkey against South Korea in 2002.
At the time of the report, Paraguay led 1-0, a result that suited the United States, which had beaten Australia 2-0 earlier in Seattle. If Turkey could not turn the match around and win, the U.S. would clinch first place in the group. Turkey and Paraguay were still battling to improve their positions and keep their hopes of advancing alive.
