Own Goals Flood 2026 World Cup, United States Among Biggest Beneficiaries

Own goals have become one of the most talked-about storylines in the opening stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a series of costly defensive mistakes shaping early results. So far, the tournament has witnessed seven own goals—already the second-highest total in World Cup history.

The record remains the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where players scored 12 own goals. However, with the expanded format featuring 48 teams and a total of 104 matches, that record could still be challenged as the tournament progresses.

Among the biggest beneficiaries of the unusual trend is co-host United States, which has gained directly from multiple opponent mistakes, helping boost its early momentum in the group stage.

The sequence of own goals began when Paraguay’s Damián Bobadilla mistakenly turned the ball into his own net against the United States in just the seventh minute of their match. In another instance, Australia’s Cameron Burgess also scored an own goal under pressure from the American side, helping the United States secure consecutive wins in Group D.

Qatar also benefited from an own goal to secure a draw, while Switzerland’s Miro Muheim and Qatar’s Mohammad Manai both scored in their own nets in separate matches. Qatar later suffered a heavy 6–0 defeat against Canada, a match in which Manai again conceded an own goal.

Other players who have recorded own goals include Egypt’s Mohamed Hany, Iraq’s Ayman Hussein, and Jordan’s Yazan Al-Arab. Hussein’s case stood out, as he scored both for and against his team in the same match against Norway, becoming one of only three players in World Cup history to score for both sides in a single game.

Since the first-ever World Cup in 1930, when Mexico’s 18-year-old Manuel Rosas scored the tournament’s first own goal against Chile, a total of 61 own goals have been recorded in World Cup history. Remarkably, around 12 percent of those have come in the current edition alone.

While some tournaments have ended without a single own goal—most recently in 1990—this edition has already seen multiple records being challenged due to the unusual frequency of defensive errors.

The United States has already benefited from two own goals in this tournament, equaling the record for the most own goals received by a single team in a World Cup edition. France previously achieved the same in both 2014 and 2018.

Historically, Mexico has suffered the most own goals, with their players scoring against their own team four times. On the other hand, France has been the biggest beneficiary, with opponents scoring six own goals in their favor across different editions.