While every FIFA World Cup fills fans worldwide with anticipation, it is often the goals that are truly remembered and written into history. This FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, has not disappointed in this regard.
Although this tournament has already become the highest-scoring since its inception in 1930, with 22 matches yet to be played, and this is related to the expansion of participating teams to 48, it currently appears that the average goals per game will also be the highest in the past 56 years.
Following the controversial match between Portugal and Croatia, the current average goals per game stands at 2.92, a slight decrease from 2.98 at the end of the group stage. A total of 215 goals were scored in 72 group stage matches. If this average holds, this tournament will surpass the previous 13 FIFA World Cups; to find a FIFA World Cup with a higher average goals per game, one would have to go back to Mexico in 1970, when it was 2.97 goals per game.
Additionally, in the history of the FIFA World Cup, there have been five tournaments with a higher average goals per game than the one where Pelé won his third title: Switzerland 1954 with 5.38 goals per game, France 1938 with 4.67 goals, Italy 1934 with 4.12 goals, Brazil 1950 with 4 goals, and Uruguay 1930 with 3.89 goals. However, these statistics must be understood within a completely different football context.
Interestingly, Spain's group is also one of the groups that lowered the average goals per game for this tournament, as the "Red Fury," Uruguay, Cape Verde, and Saudi Arabia combined for only 11 goals. Conversely, the highest-scoring group was the one with France, Norway, Senegal, and Iraq, which totaled 27 goals.
It is precisely France that currently has the most goals, which is not surprising given their forward line composed of Mbappé, Dembele, Olise, Barcola, and Doué. In second place are two countries that have already been eliminated and cannot add to their goal tally, namely the Netherlands and Germany.
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