FIFA recorded 308 goals across 104 matches at the 2026 World Cup. The 2026 World Cup final supplied the last decisive one, Ferran Torres’s 106th-minute winner for Spain. Earlier rounds offered a broader test for any ranking: goals created by a turn, a first touch or a goalkeeper’s decision to leave his line, along with shots from distance and finishes delivered when a match was running out of time. Technique, pressure and consequence shape this ranking of the best goals of the 2026 World Cup.
No. 10 — Ferran Torres
The countdown starts with Torres at No. 10. Argentina entered extra time with 10 players after Enzo Fernández’s dismissal, but Spain still needed 106 minutes to score. Nico Williams headed the ball into the substitute’s path, and Torres finished left-footed from the center of the box. The sequence was simple, a headed pass and a finish before Argentina could reset. Spain won 1-0 and added a second men’s World Cup title to its 2010 championship.
No. 9 — Kerim Alajbegović
At No. 9, Kerim Alajbegović made his own shooting lane. The 18-year-old moved laterally across the top of Qatar’s penalty area, escaped three defenders and struck right-footed into the upper-right corner in the 29th minute. Bosnia and Herzegovina won 3-1. Alajbegović released the shot while the defenders were still turning to recover, before any of them could reset their feet.
No. 8 — Wilson Isidor
Wilson Isidor’s goal for Haiti ranks eighth. Morocco had equalized at 1-1 when he restored the lead in the 43rd minute, setting himself outside the area and sending the ball into the upper-left corner. Morocco recovered to win 4-2. Isidor’s preparation was brief, and the height of the shot left the goalkeeper no time to shift across his line.
No. 7 — Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham’s seventh-place goal closed England’s 10-goal bronze final. Introduced as a substitute, he completed a counterattack deep in stoppage time, carrying the ball into the area and moving beyond three French defenders before making it 6-4. It was his seventh goal of the tournament, an England record for one World Cup. The run mattered as much as the finish.
No. 6 — Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé’s goal ranks sixth. In the 66th minute, he ran onto a direct pass through England’s retreating back line and finished low beyond Dean Henderson from inside the penalty area. The strike in France’s 6-4 bronze-final defeat made him the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 22 goals. France still fell short, but the sequence combined a timed run, acceleration and a controlled finish under pressure.
No. 5 — Lionel Messi
Fifth belongs to Lionel Messi for the first goal in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria. On his 200th international appearance, he collected Rodrigo De Paul’s through ball, drove toward the area and struck from about 25 yards in the 17th minute. The ball brushed Luca Zidane’s fingertips on its way into the top-right corner. It began Messi’s first World Cup hat trick and left him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 men’s World Cup goals by full time.
No. 4 — Eldor Shomurodov
Eldor Shomurodov takes fourth, despite Uzbekistan’s 3-1 loss to DR Congo. Abbosbek Fayzullaev flicked on a long pass in the 10th minute, and Shomurodov accelerated beyond Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right. Lionel Mpasi had already left his line. From a narrowing angle, the captain lifted the ball over the goalkeeper. He recognized Mpasi’s advance early and chose touch over force.
No. 3 — Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is third. His 79th-minute header had put Norway ahead against Brazil, and Haaland’s late double was complete eleven minutes later when Andreas Schjelderup supplied him outside the area. Haaland was nearly stationary, yet his shot traveled across goal and inside the far corner. Neymar’s late penalty made the final score 2-1. Norway reached its first World Cup quarterfinal.
No. 2 — Julián Álvarez
Julián Álvarez is second. Switzerland had been reduced to 10 players, but Argentina’s quarterfinal remained 1-1 in the 112th minute. Álvarez received the ball outside the area and bent it into the upper corner beyond a full-stretch Gregor Kobel. Lautaro Martínez added a third nine minutes later. The shot combined long-range placement with the pressure of a match drifting toward penalties.
No. 1 — Sidny Lopes Cabral
First belongs to Sidny Lopes Cabral. Cabo Verde trailed Argentina 2-1 in extra time when he received the ball on the left with his back to goal. He cut inside Alexis Mac Allister and, from the edge of the penalty area, curled a right-footed shot into the far upper corner in the 103rd minute. An own goal later gave Argentina a 3-2 win. Cabral controlled under pressure, changed direction and shaped the finish in one sequence. No other entry asks as much of the scorer before the ball reaches the net.
