FIFA World Cup 2026 Sees Record Number of Own Goals

Record-Breaking Own Goals at the World Cup

In a surprising turn of events, Ellyes Skhiri's own goal during Tunisia's 3-1 loss to the Netherlands has brought the total number of own goals in the FIFA World Cup 2026 to 12. This figure ties the record for the highest number of own goals in a single men's World Cup, previously established during the 2018 tournament in Russia. Skhiri inadvertently redirected Denzel Dumfries' low cross into his own net just three minutes into the match held in Kansas City, giving the Netherlands an early advantage as they finished the group stage unbeaten.

A Surprising Trend

According to Opta Analyst, this tournament has seen over 18% of all own goals recorded in the history of men's World Cups. To date, there have been a total of 66 own goals across all FIFA World Cup tournaments.

A Tournament of Own Goals

The trend of own goals began with Paraguay's Damian Bobadilla, who scored against the United States. Following him, Switzerland's Miro Muheim inadvertently allowed Qatar to equalize in stoppage time, and Qatar's Mohamed Manai scored an own goal during a 6-0 loss to Canada. Other players who have scored own goals in this tournament include Egypt's Mohamed Hany, Iraq's Aymen Hussein, Jordan's Yazan Al-Arab, Australia's Cameron Burgess, Saudi Arabia's Hassan Al-Tambakti, Uzbekistan's goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov, Qatar's Mahmud Abunada, Morocco's goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, and Tunisia's Skhiri.

Hussein's Unique Achievement

Aymen Hussein's own goal was particularly notable as he also scored for Iraq in the same match against Norway, making him only the third player in men's World Cup history to score in both his own net and for his team in a single game.

Qatar's Unwanted Record

Qatar has now joined an unfortunate group as only the third team to score two own goals in a single men's World Cup, matching the records set by Bulgaria in 1966 and Russia in 2018.

Historical Context of Own Goals

Historically, Mexico holds the record for the most own goals by a single nation, with four. In contrast, France has benefited the most from own goals, with six scored by opponents in their favor. The first own goal in World Cup history was recorded by 18-year-old Mexican defender Manuel Rosas during a 3-0 defeat to Chile in the inaugural tournament in 1930. Notably, five World Cup editions have concluded without any own goals, with the last occurrence being in Italy in 1990.