“The quality of the shots was great in this tournament,” said Jurgen Klinsmann, a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group, in reference to the many outstanding long-range strikes at the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
“It’s something fun for us coaches to watch – we saw some beautiful goals that way,” added Klinsmann, who won the World Cup 1990. “They delivered rockets from outside the box, really.”
Data collected by the Technical Study Group during the tournament highlighted a number of interesting trends, not least in terms of goals from outside the penalty area. While the proportion of shots from outside the 18-yard box remained almost unchanged from the 2022 World Cup, the goals that these shots produced doubled from eight to a healthy 16 per cent.
"There has been a little bit of a defensive attitude from quite a lot of coaches with a lower block to defend,” explained Klinsmann. “There have been more goals happening from shots from distance, 20-22 yards outside the box through a lot of people, which makes it very difficult for goalkeepers.”
A total of 43 goals were scored from outside the penalty area in North America – and you can view all of those goals in the video at the top of this article. Below, meanwhile, we analyse some of the most memorable strikes from the tournament.
In the Round of 16, Hans Vanaken kept his composure following a goalkeeping error from Matt Freese and scored from 35 yards to put Belgium 3-1 up. Thanks in part to Vanaken’s goal, the Red Devils ultimately eased past the USA and progressed to the next round.
On the final matchday of the group phase, Sweden needed at least one point to ensure their progress to the knockout stage as one of the eight best third-placed teams. With an hour gone, Sweden were trailing 1-0 but then Anthony Elanga stepped up. After receiving a pass from Viktor Gyokeres, the winger cut inside from the right channel to the corner of the 18-yard box before curling home an unstoppable equaliser to send his country into the next round.
World Cup newcomers Cabo Verde shocked the world with a goalless draw in their opening game against eventual world champions Spain, but had to wait until their second game against Uruguay for their first World Cup goal. It was well worth the wait. In the 21st minute, Kevin Pina hammered a direct free-kick low into the bottom right corner from more than 30 yards out to spark scenes of wild celebration.
Before the start of the tournament, Brazilian legend Rivellino held the record for the most goals from outside the penalty area at World Cup finals with five. Lionel Messi had already equalled Rivellino’s record on the first matchday with an outstanding long-range effort to give his side a 1-0 lead against Algeria, before making the record his own in the third group match as he bent a clever free-kick around Jordan’s wall.
Having suffered successive defeats without scoring in their opening two games, Haiti were still waiting for their first goal at World Cup 2026 when they faced Morocco in their final group match. The curse was lifted as early as the 10th minute courtesy of a Yassine Bounou own goal, but it was Wilson Isidor who provided the highlight of Haiti’s tournament shortly before the break: After receiving a pass from Jean-Kevin Duverne, the striker controlled the ball just outside the area before thundering an unstoppable 75mph shot into the top-left corner.
In the quarter-final against Morocco, France toiled for long periods before Kylian Mbappe finally broke the deadlock to put Les Bleus 1-0 ahead. Didier Deschamps’ team were not content with just one. Just a few minutes later, Ousmane Dembele dribbled to the edge of the area before placing a low shot past the keeper to make it 2-0. The ball was spinning at over 19 revolutions per second, making it impossible for Bounou to keep out despite getting his fingertips to it.
A goal’s true value can never be determined using metrics alone. That said, few are more important than one which helps a team reach the World Cup final. Enzo Fernandez scored just such a goal shortly before the end of regulation time in Argentina's last-four clash with England. With La Albiceleste trailing 1-0, in the 85th minute Messi drew in several opposition players on the right flank before passing to Fernandez in the centre. The midfielder took a touch and drilled a powerful shot beyond Jordan Pickford to put his side back on level terms. Lautaro Martinez would go on to head a stoppage-time winner for Argentina.
Sources: FIFA Official
