Kansas City (AFP) – The group stages of the first 48-team World Cup ended in a flurry of goals — a fitting conclusion to an eye-catching first round. The opening phase of the tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States witnessed a record 215 goals, at a higher rate per match — 2.99 — than any World Cup since the 1950s. AFP Sport looks at what is behind the staggering numbers.
**Golden Boot race**
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The race for the Golden Boot is often a sideshow, but this time it is anything but. The world’s elite forwards are driving each other on in a captivating battle to finish as top scorer. Lionel Messi leads the way with six goals, ahead of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius Junior, and Erling Haaland, who have four apiece. The long-standing single-tournament record of 13 goals set in 1958 by France’s Just Fontaine appears vulnerable, but this is a tournament for records. Messi, who did not start against Jordan on Saturday, now has 19 goals over six World Cups after adding to his tally in Argentina’s 3-1 win against Jordan.
**Wobbly ball?**
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart believes the Adidas Trionda ball is proving difficult to handle. Hart said goalkeepers were struggling with flatter shots, with less spin. “The calculation isn’t quite there,” he told the BBC. “I feel like the ball’s coming on to the guys a little bit quicker than it looks off the foot.” But he said the Jabulani used at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was a whole different ball game. “That Jabulani was a frightening football and it was really hard to control, but once they did get it on target, obviously you knew they’d crush it.”
**New format?**
The World Cup includes 48 teams for the first time — up from 32 at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The expansion has led to mismatches, allowing top players to exploit weaker defenses, but it is still difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Germany ran riot against Curacao in their opening match, winning 7-1, but fellow newcomers Cape Verde defied the odds to draw against European champions Spain and made it out of their group. And big blowouts are not unheard of. Spain hammered Costa Rica 7-0 in the group stages of the 2022 World Cup, while England beat Iran 6-2.
Another potential factor is that the stakes are lower at the start of the group stage, especially for the big teams, with 32 teams making it through to the knockouts. That may have contributed to more open, risky football in the opening matches.
**Super subs**
Substitutes have made an outsized impact at the World Cup, scoring dozens of goals. Teams were first allowed to use replacements at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, but only two, with the number edging steadily upwards. From the 2022 tournament, teams were allowed to make five changes — plus one in extra time of knockout games. The extra substitutions, plus the expanded 26-man squads introduced four years ago, mean coaches can inject fresh energy. Germany’s Deniz Undav came off the bench when his team were 1-0 down against Ivory Coast, scoring two late goals to secure the win.
**Defensive blunders**
Ellyes Skhiri’s own goal in Tunisia’s game with the Netherlands was the 12th scored at the 2026 World Cup, equalling the record set in 2018. And there is a long list of other high-profile defensive and goalkeeping errors, many of which have led directly to opposition chances. In the opening match of the tournament, South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole was dispossessed on the edge of his own penalty area, allowing Julian Quinones to score for Mexico. Two of Iraq’s three goalkeepers made costly mistakes leading to goals, and Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera asked to be replaced at half-time against Spain after a huge blunder.
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