Is FIFA World Cup 2026 already the greatest ever?
By Nawaz Gohar ; Even before the quarter-finals have kicked off, FIFA World Cup 2026 has ignited a global debate over whether it is already the greatest World Cup in football history.
With a groundbreaking 48-team format, three host nations, record-breaking goal tallies, breathtaking comebacks and unforgettable last-minute drama, the tournament has already carved out a special place among the sport’s most memorable editions.
Co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, the expanded tournament has rewritten the World Cup record books. According to international media reports, 280 goals have been scored in the first 96 of the
tournament’s 104 matches, producing an average of 2.92 goals per game—the highest scoring rate since the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Nearly 75 per cent of the goals have come from open play, one of the highest such ratios in World Cup history.
Defending champions Argentina have emerged as the tournament’s most prolific side with 14 goals, while the knockout stage has delivered relentless excitement. Eight decisive goals have been scored after the 85th minute, four matches have gone to penalty shootouts,
and Argentina’s dramatic comeback victories over Cape Verde and Egypt have become defining moments. Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time winner against Egypt not only became the tournament’s 10th decisive goal scored after the 90th minute—a new World Cup record—but also brought the total number of goals scored in FIFA World Cup history to an unprecedented 3,000.
Several other encounters have added to the tournament’s growing legacy. Belgium rallied from two goals down to defeat Senegal 3-2, while Argentina produced another remarkable comeback from the same deficit to overcome Egypt by an identical scoreline.
It marks the first World Cup since 1970 in which multiple teams have recovered from two-goal deficits to win. England also stunned hosts Mexico with a gritty 3-2 victory at the iconic Azteca Stadium despite playing nearly 40 minutes with 10 men following Jarell Quansah’s red card.
The race for the Golden Boot has become equally captivating. Lionel Messi leads the scoring charts with eight goals, followed closely by France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland on seven each, while England captain Harry Kane remains firmly in contention with six. It is the first time in FIFA World Cup history that three different players have scored at least seven goals in a single edition.
Messi has also become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 21 World Cup goals, ahead of Mbappé on 19, while the French superstar has extended his record for the most knockout-stage goals in World Cup history to 11.
Discipline has remained relatively controlled despite the tournament’s intensity, with 259 yellow cards and 14 red cards shown so far. As anticipation builds for the quarter-finals, football fans and analysts believe that if the final delivers the same level of drama as Argentina’s epic victory over France in 2022, FIFA World Cup 2026 could be universally recognised as the greatest World Cup ever staged.
