With the expansion of the 2026 World Cup, there are more teams than ever, more games than ever — and more goals. Across the tournament, 307 total goals have been scored by the 48 teams in the field, led by England (20), France (20) and Argentina (19).
Almost everyone had a chance to celebrate a goal during the tournament; only one team, Panama, failed to score. Some of those goals have been particularly superb, rising above the pack in a tournament that has displayed plenty of skill.
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Here are some of the best goals of the tournament so far as we await Sunday’s final, which could produce yet another moment of magic worthy of this list.
Sidny Lopes Cabral equalizes against Argentina
One of the best goals of the World Cup came from an unlikely source. In extra time against the defending champions, Cape Verde’s Sidny Lopes Cabral found a jaw-dropping equalizer.
Cape Verde, a tiny archipelago nation that played far beyond expectations throughout the tournament, had already equalized once in the surprising high-intensity matchup. After conceding in extra time, though, Cabral hit a beautiful, curving ball from the edge of the goal box that buried into the right side net.
A go-ahead own goal later gave Argentina the 3-2 extra-time win, bringing an end to one of the greatest underdog runs in World Cup history. But Cabral’s goal, like Cape Verde’s run, will live on.
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Lionel Messi lets it loose
Lionel Messi kicked off the World Cup with a bang, opening the tournament with a hat trick against Algeria. And though all three strikes were excellent, his first was a true sign of the Argentine captain’s talent, as he eschewed potential options from his teammates to instead power the ball from the top of the penalty arc.
Messi has a chance for the Golden Boot with eight goals heading into the final, but his first was the stuff of legends.
Kylian Mbappé becomes France’s all-time leading scorer
Like Messi, it’s a little hard to pick a “best” goal for Mbappé, since he’s got so many (10) to choose from., but the second goal of his opening-match brace against Senegal captured the French captain at his best.
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Mbappé found the ball in space, turned and released a banger from distance, capping off a 3-1 win to open Les Bleus’ group stage. The goal was his 14th World Cup goal, leading Mbappé to become the all-time leading World Cup scorer in France’s history. One month after opening the tournament with a brace, he finishes Saturday’s third-place match with 22 career World Cup goals, surpassing Messi for the all-time record.
Wilson Isidor hits a stunner for Haiti’s sole World Cup goal
In the last match of the group stage, Haiti took a brief lead over Morocco behind a rocket from striker Wilson Isidor, who smashed a shot from outside the box through traffic. The goal had Isidor’s teammates, and Haitian fans, on their feet celebrating.
It ended up being the only scored goal of the tournament for Haiti, which was back in the tournament for the first time in 52 year. (Haiti’s first goal in the game was credited as an own goal from Moroccan goalkeeper Bono.) But even as the country exited the group stage with zero points, Isidor left them with something to remember.
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Erling Haaland slides it through
Another star who lived up to the billing was Norway’s Erling Haaland, who stormed his way through opposing defenses to lead his team to the quarterfinals. Haaland finished with seven goals, good enough for fourth place in the Golden Boot race even with Messi, Mbappé and Jude Bellingham having played more games.
Haaland has plenty of great goals to choose from, with the 6-5 Norwegian often using his height to score with his head. But one of his best of the tournament came with his feet, as Haaland slid a powerful shot past three Brazilian defenders and goalkeeper Alisson to secure Norway’s Round of 16 win over Brazil.
Norway was making its return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence, but the Vikings’ performance makes it feel likely that Haaland will be back in four years to score more bangers.
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Gio Reyna caps it off with a trivela
In the USMNT’s emphatic opening match of the home World Cup, the team was already dominating Paraguay by the time Giovanni Reyna subbed in. Reyna entered the game late in the second half, and in stoppage time, he hit an incredible shot with the outside of his foot to cap it all off.
Julián Álvarez seals the quarterfinals with a golazo
In one of Argentina’s many great escapes throughout the knockout round, Argentina was held level with Switzerland heading into extra time. But in the 112th minute, Julián Álvarez hit an incredible goal from distance, eventually securing a 3-1 victory.
Amad Diallo makes history for Ivory Coast
Appearing in their first knockout game in the country’s history, Ivory Coast equalized against Norway in the Round of 32 behind an excellent goal from Amad Diallo. The young attacking midfielder entered the game in the 60th minute, and scored just 14 minutes later by twisting through three Norwegian defenders and powering the ball home.
Though Haaland scored shortly afterward to clinch a 2-1 Norway win, the Elephants were able to celebrate their first knockout goal.
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Andreas Schjelderup stuns England early
Though Haaland may have gotten most of the attention on Norway, his teammate Andreas Schjelderup quietly scored one of the best goals of the tournament in the quarterfinals against England. In the first half, Schjelderup slotted a screamer from the edge of the box that sailed past Jordan Pickford and gave Norway an early lead.
The game ended in England’s favor, but it was a performance that feels like the beginning for this Norwegian squad, rather than the end.
Malik Tillman’s direct free kick(s)
United States men’s national team midfielder Malik Tillman was able to dig his team out of adversity with a beautiful free kick goal — not once, but twice. Tillman’s first came in the second half of the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, growing the USMNT’s lead while down a player.
Then, in the next game against Belgium, Tillman did it again, lofting a perfectly balanced free kick past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Though the U.S. would go on to concede three more goals, it was still a stellar way to add himself to the score sheet.
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Jude Bellingham does it all himself
With France pressing after cutting England’s lead to a single goal in Saturday’s third-place match, Jude Bellingham seized control at the perfect moment. Collecting the ball near midfield, the England star drove straight through the heart of the French defense, weaving past a defender before slipping through another defender inside the penalty area.
Still with work to do, Bellingham created just enough space for himself and unleashed a fierce right-footed finish beyond the goalkeeper to restore England’s two-goal cushion.
In a third-place playoff that somehow kept producing twists after nine earlier goals, Bellingham’s breathtaking solo effort provided the decisive final flourish.
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